Picture Perfect
by Moriens-der-Lyset
Summary: Roxas is a fresh-out-of-high-school teenage gymnast with a dream to someday get on the big screen. When he is offered the role of stunt double to a famous actor, he jumps at the chance, but he never sees what happens next coming...
1. Make Lemonade

**Title:** Picture Perfect  
><strong>Fandom:<strong> Kingdom Hearts  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M  
><strong>Pairings:<strong> Akuroku, Soriku, and numerous others.  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Sexual content, slight substance abuse, and foul language.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Roxas is a fresh-out-of-high-school teenage gymnast with a dream to someday get on the big screen. Thanks to his brother Sora's unlikely connection to an actor in an upcoming movie, he finds out that Ventus Knight, the holder of the lead role in the movie, is looking for a stunt double, and they look exactly alike. Roxas jumps at the chance to be catapulted into the spotlight when he is offered the job, but little does he know that with fame comes a price - and the possibilty of falling in love with the lanky, redheaded sidekick who has a penchant for bad jokes and a smile that can melt your heart.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Kingdom Hearts © Disney and Square Enix, Final Fantasy © Square Enix, all other references do not belong to me.

**Author's Note:** Hello again, everyone! So, I finally got my lazy butt around to posting the first chapter of my new story, Picture Perfect! I really hope you enjoy this story, because I know I'm going to have fun writing it. Due to school having a tendency of getting in the way, updates may not be regular, so you'll just have to bear with me while I try and keep my life in order and write at the same time. Anways, without further ado, here's chapter one!

**Chapter One: If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.**

~::~

"Come on, Roxas, pay attention! If you drop me again, I am _not_ taking your home after practice!"

The blonde-haired teen being addressed stared after the brunette girl who yelled at him as she walked back to coat her hands in a new layer of chalk. He picked himself up off the mat and sighed as he did a back-bend, popping his aching back. This was the fourth time in the last half hour he had fallen, something that was unheard of. He'd been doing this for almost his entire life; there was no excuse to be below standard.

"Sorry, Olette," he murmured as he straightened up and walked over to the bucket of chalk dust. "I promise I'll do it right this time. Again?"

Olette held out a whitened hand. "Come on, you klutz."

Roxas grinned and took her hand, following her back to the center of the mat. She turned after walking a few yards and launched into a series of back flips. The blonde boy somersaulted and caught her in his arms, sending her into another series of flips that brought her to the edge of the mat opposite from where she had started. Roxas leapt up from his somersault and did a back flip, landing in a perfect handstand. Olette turned around and ran forwards, diving at the ground and pushing off hard with her hands, just enough to let her clear the bottoms of Roxas's feet and then go into a roll as she hit the ground beyond him. Roxas let himself breath for a moment as his partner started somersaulting her way around the spot where he was still standing steady on his hands. Finally, after a few seconds, he pushed off and began doing flips in the opposite direction as Olette. With a tremendous leap, Olette suddenly launched herself into the air, flying straight at Roxas. This time, he was ready. He rolled into a standing position and caught her in his arms, holding her aloft by her hips. They stayed like that for a moment, chests heaving, before Roxas released her and they hugged, laughing happily.

"We're going to get first place tomorrow at the competition, I know it!" Olette chirped. "That was amazing!"

Roxas nodded in agreement, still out of breath. He walked over to his bag and grabbed a bottle of water, gulping half of it down before wiping his mouth and replying, "I sure hope so. I've never competed in this category before…"

"Oh, you'll do fine," the brunette girl assured him. "You're about a million times better than all of the other male gymnasts I know put together."

"Don't tell that to Setzer, he'll kill you!" Roxas whispered, pointing to the man in purple practicing on the other side of the gym. "Seriously. He thinks he's like… God, or something."

Olette giggled and grabbed her bag. "He sure does. Now, go and shower. I don't want my car to smell like you for days like last time."

"It was not days!" the blonde cried indignantly as he picked up his own things and scrambled after her towards the locker room doors.

"Was too," Olette said over her shoulder as she disappeared into the women's side. Roxas rolled his eyes and headed in to his respective door. He was glad of the chance to shower and wash off the sweat from the intensive practice he had endured that day.

His brunette friend was waiting for him by the door when he exited the locker room. Together, they walked out into the blistering summer heat and hurried to Olette's car, not wanting to undo what their showers had just accomplished.

"Someday turn down the heat," she panted as she slumped down in the driver's seat.

"Sorry, I'm not God," Roxas apologized. "I can't do awesome shit like that."

"If you were God, I would be so screwed," Olette replied, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot as Roxas buckled himself in. "All those times I've threatened to leave you here… I shudder to think how you might get revenge with divine powers."

"Probably chuck a whole bucketful of holy hand grenades at you."

The brunette rolled her eyes and ignored Roxas as he continued listing off the many, many ways he could kill her with said powers. She was relieved when they pulled up in front of the blonde boy's house, a quaint little pale blue two-story with navy shutters and doors, along with a porch facing the street. "Here we are," the girl said. "Make sure you're not late tomorrow, okay? Is your family coming with you?"

"I… think so, yeah. If we can get Sora's lazy ass out of bed," The two friends chuckled. "See you tomorrow, Olette."

"Bye, Roxas."

The blonde boy climbed out of the car and walked up to his front door, ringing the doorbell once he got there. No one answered. After several more presses of the button, his brother, looking like he had just gotten out of bed, jerked the door open without a word and then stumbled back upstairs to his room. Roxas shook his head as he watched Sora go.

As he walked past the kitchen door, the blonde stuck his head inside to say a quick greeting to his father Cloud, with whom he shared a striking likeness. The blonde man looked up at him from over the top of his glasses and nodded to acknowledge him. Roxas then continued up to his room only to find Sora passed out on his bed.

"Um… Sora?" The blonde boy poked his brunette brother's shoulder until he rolled over and grunted unhappily at him. "You're sleeping on my bed."

Sora's eyes opened a little wider. "Say what? No I'm… Aw, shit. Sorry, man. I'm still getting over that shitty cold from last week. Been asleep all day."

"I can tell," Roxas wrinkled his nose as he caught a whiff of Sora's way-past-morning breath. "Only you have the ability to catch a cold in the middle of ninety-degree heat."

Sora laughed humorlessly as he sat up and slid off the bed. "Yeah, aren't you jealous? Germs love me almost as much as chicks love you." Sora bolted for the door.

"Wait a second…" Roxas blinked. "Hey!" He grabbed a pillow and chased his brother to his room, but before he could hit him, Sora shut and locked his bedroom door behind him.

Muttering dire threats under his breath, Roxas retreated to his room and shut the door. He dumped all of his stuff next to his bed and sat down, kicking off his shoes before lying down on the still-warm sheets. He glanced at his clock, wondering when his mother would be home. He knew today was one of the days she had extra lessons at the martial arts school she taught at, but he didn't know how long that would take. His stomach growled, and, reluctantly, he headed back downstairs to raid the pantry.

"How did practice go?" Cloud asked as his son walked into the kitchen.

"Great. Olette's sure we'll win first tomorrow," the blonde boy responded as he grabbed a can of soda out of the refrigerator and then fished a box of Cheez-Its out of the pantry. "I take it you guys are all going to come and watch?"

"Of course we are. And yes, we're actually going to find a way to get your brother up before noon. Knowing your mother…" Cloud smiled wryly. "Well, I pity Sora if he's too stubborn. Tifa's not a sensei for nothing."

Roxas chuckled. "Don't sound so jealous. You can fight too, you know."

"Yes, but she still beats me every time," his father replied with a sigh.

"Dad, she's your wife. If you always beat her down, how else would she take her anger out? Besides, we all know you get distracted by her… oh, what did you call it that one time… _luscious figure?_"

Cloud set down the book he was reading and looked over at his son. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that and let you go back to what you were doing."

"Sir, yes sir!" Roxas saluted mockingly and then fled upstairs as his father began to rise out of his seat.

Munching on a handful of the cheesy crackers he had purloined from the pantry, Roxas sat down on his bed and stayed there for a while, wondering what he should do with the remainder of his afternoon. Olette was the only friend of his who was in town at the moment, and he'd been with her nearly all day, so hanging out probably wouldn't be smart. Summer time meant no homework to do, no books to read, and no incentive to really do much of anything except eat, sleep, and practice his gymnastics.

After almost ten minutes of sitting there being bored, Roxas shoved one last handful of Cheez-Its in his mouth and walked down the hall to his brother's room. The door was closed, something he found a bit strange, because Sora usually didn't care about his privacy. If anything, he lacked all notions of the word.

The blonde boy pressed his ear to the door when he realized Sora was speaking to someone. "You're sure about this? Tomorrow? Really?" His brother sounded shocked by whatever the other person had just told him. "That's great! I don't know how my brother will take this, though… any of it. He's not exactly… open-minded. Hell, he'll probably flip his shit, if I know him."

Roxas scowled at the white-painted door. His temper wasn't that bad… was it?

"Look, I probably need to go before anyone hears me… My mom's gonna be home soon. Yeah. Yeah, I know, tomorrow. I've got it, trust me. I can't wait to see you. Okay, bye," There was a short pause, and then a light chuckle from Sora. "Yes, I love you too, you idiot. Bye."

Roxas bolted for his room when he heard Sora's footsteps heading for the door he was standing in front of. He managed to somersault into his room and simultaneously kick his door shut as he did so. "Well, at least gymnastics are good for something," he muttered to himself. "I wonder who the hell Sora was talking to…"

The rest of the night was uneventful. Roxas's mother came home almost two whole hours later to a houseful of very hungry men begging her to cook something. Tifa Strife rolled her eyes and pulled out a couple of frozen pizzas from the oven and let them cook. When the table was finally set, the others immediately tackled the food and devoured most of it like a pack of rabid wolves.

"What I wouldn't give for a daughter," the dark-haired woman grumbled.

After dinner, the boys retreated back to their respective rooms. Roxas crept back out into the hallway to listen at Sora's door, but his brother never called the mysterious stranger again, so the blonde got bored and returned to his room. A couple hours later saw an exhausted Roxas getting ready for an early bed time, wanting to be in top shape the next morning for the gymnastics competition. Once the necessary preparations were done, the blonde boy crawled under his covers and lay awake for a while, contemplating the things that were going to take place the next day.

Roxas desperately hoped that he and Olette's routine would go well. If he fell in front of all the people that were sure to be there, he'd never forgive himself. Also, he wondered who Sora had been talking to. Why was his brother so excited about meeting this person? Were they going to be at the competition?

The blonde sighed and rolled over. He had more important things to worry about. Sleep was one of them.

~::~

"Five more minutes…"

Roxas scowled down at his older brother as he rolled over and shoved his head under his pillow for the third time in the last fifteen minutes. At this rate, they were going to be late, and that was not something Roxas liked to be. "Sora, if you don't wake up right now, I'm gonna break your Mickey Mouse clock!"

The brunette instantly shot out of bed and raced to get ready to go, glaring at his brother the whole time. "You're an evil son of a bitch, Roxas."

"Don't I know it," The blonde chuckled as he grabbed his duffel bag off his bed and then headed downstairs to eat.

"Good morning, honey," Tifa said sweetly, setting a plate of eggs and toast in front of him as he sat down at the table. "Your father's cleaning out the back of the car so you can put your things in. It seems like Cid's been using his car for a junkyard lately."

"Not again," Roxas rolled his eyes. "Uncle Cid's got to stop doing that. He knows how much Dad hates it."

Tifa's eyes flashed dangerously. "Oh, believe me, if he doesn't stop, I'll go and give him a nice, long lecture about why it's wrong to pick on your little brother."

Roxas wasn't sure whether to laugh or be afraid, so he shoveled a huge bite of breakfast into his mouth and stayed silent. Sora came down about three and a half seconds later, stole his toast, and then walked through the kitchen into the adjoining garage where his father was.

"Sora, if you even dare think about eating that, I'm going to make you eat broccoli for breakfast!" Tifa barked. The brunette froze and turned around slowly, the piece of toast already halfway raised to his mouth. Roxas watched in amusement as his brother returned the bread to his plate and sat down at the table across from him. "Thank, you dear."

Within a few minutes, both boys were done eating and the family began loading up the car. It would be a long hour and a half to get to the arena for Roxas. He could finally feel the pressure getting to him, turning his palms sweaty and making him shiver in fear and anticipation.

The building the competition was being held in was a huge athletics compound, complete with a swimming pool, indoor fields and even an area for dancers to practice. Roxas had been there many times before, but the place still left him awestruck when he saw it.

As soon as he and his family walked in the front doors, Olette and several others from his class tackled him and dragged him off to the practice rooms without so much as a warning. Waving frantically at his confused relatives, the blonde let himself be pulled along until they came to the locker rooms.

"Go change," Olette ordered, the seriousness in her tone very disconcerting. "I saw the name of the best team in the state on the roster. We've got work to do."

Roxas paled at this, but obeyed instantly, hurrying to get into his gold and orange team outfit. He had always liked the design of their performance uniforms, a mostly gold leotard and tights with a few orange stripes and an orange sun directly over their hearts. The Twilight Town Sunsets weren't going to lose today, not a chance, even if the Radiant Garden Stars were competing against them. They'd find a way to win… wouldn't they?

The blonde boy gathered his things and hurried out to his waiting team. They instantly set off for the practice room assigned to them, knowing they'd need every spare second they had to warm up and perfect their routines. Roxas himself was entered in three categories: the floor performance with Olette, the vault, and finally, the high bar. Roxas was only really worried about the dual performance since it was so late in the day when that section was, and they would both be exhausted by then. Olette was also in three events, meaning between them, they would have to do four whole routines before they got to their last one, not to mention the rhythmic routine the whole team would be doing at the very end of the day…

"Roxas, let's go. We've got the mat to ourselves right now," Olette pulled him onto the carpeted, springy surface and they deposited their bags on the side before chalking their hands and walking to their starting positions. "And don't worry, okay? Remember, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. And then maybe throw it in your opponent's eyes to distract them. We'll make do with what we have."

Roxas nodded, confused but somewhat reassured by her strange words. Olette gave him the signal, and they began.

Several attempts to get it right later, Roxas had fallen twice when he was supposed to catch Olette. The brunette girl was clearly frustrated with him to no end, but she just smiled and helped him up so they could try again. Another member of their team, Selphie, watched from the sidelines as they practiced.

"Roxas," she called, "Try spreading your feet apart a little more this time at the end. That way you won't lose your balance."

The blonde nodded and waited for Olette to begin the routine once again. At the finale, he did as Selphie suggested, and, miraculously, he was able to stay standing without even a tremble in his legs.

The three were about to congratulate each other when a man walked in and said, "Twilight Town Sunsets?" Olette nodded. "Good. It's time to come to the main room. Please get your things and follow me."

The team of six did as they were told and followed the man through several hallways until they came to a room with stadium seats on all sides that were packed with people. Roxas felt his legs turn to jelly and he almost knocked another member of their team, Wakka, over.

"Hey, you better be careful, brudda," the tan boy said. "Don't wanna hurt yourself before you get to compete, ya?"

"He's right, you know," Tidus, the third and final male on the team said. "You and Olette are our best bet at winning."

Tidus's girlfriend Yuna, the sixth member of the team, rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, you guys are great too. Have some confidence."

"You tell 'em, Yunie!"

"Rikku, what are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be with our families in the stands?" Yuna said with a sigh.

The other girl, a blonde with bright green eyes, frowned. "But one of the people judging said I could be you guys' helper person."

Tidus and Wakka snickered, but instantly shut up when the four girls gave them their best death glares.

"Those women are scary," Roxas muttered to the now very afraid teens. "Don't mess with them if you want to live a long, happy life."

"I hear ya, brudda," Wakka whispered fearfully. "Lulu's just as bad. Maybe even worse sometimes. "

The group was suddenly pushed into place by a red-faced man who was running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get everyone in the right spots. As soon as this was done, the announcer's voice came over the loudspeakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Twelfth Annual Hollow Bastion Gymnastics Competition!" The crowd applauded for a moment before the speaker continued. "Thank you all for attending today's events. We have ten of the highest-ranking teams from around the state here to compete for the honor of first place. Last year's champions, the Radiant Garden Stars!" The crowd cheered wildly, and Roxas and his teammates tried to hide their disgust. Seifer, the captain of the Stars, waved to the crowd, a smug smile on his face. The announcer went on down the list. Roxas's team struck a pose when their name was called, earning cheers from their friends, family, and fans in the stands.

Finally, it was time to compete. Roxas was stunned to realize that his first event, the vault, was actually the very first of the day. His almost as stunned teammates pushed him towards the section of the floor where the vault was set up. The woman running it took his and his team's name and then told him to wait until he was called up.

Finally, after seeing three relatively good displays from teams that weren't any real competition to him, Roxas's turn was up. He slipped on his special gloves and coated them in chalk dust for some extra traction just in case he needed to make a quick landing if something went wrong. He stepped up to the runway and breathed deeply for a moment. The woman counted down from three, and then he sprinted forwards, legs pumping. He took a deep breath when the trampoline was near… and jumped.

~::~

**Author's Note:** So, what do you think so far? Any feedback is always welcome. 3


	2. Beware of Greeks

**Author's Note:** Hello again! I'm so happy I managed to get another chapter done in a reasonable amount of time. I'd like to think everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or alerted so far. I love nothing better than feedback on a new story. Hopefully I'll be able to manage some sort of update schedule if I can get school under control... Also, I must warn you... A certain redheaded someone is prone to bouts of uncontrolable corniness and/or sexiness.. I am not to be blamed for any laughing and/or fangirling related injuries. That is all.

Chapter Two: Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

~::~

As he soared through the air, flipping and twisting expertly, Roxas allowed himself a small smile. He'd hit the board in just the right spot this time. His feet slapped down against the mat at the end of the landing pad and he threw his arms above his head. It was a perfect landing. He grinned as the judges clapped for him and proceeded to write down their scores.

Panting slightly, the blonde hurried over to where Rikku was standing by their team's bench and took the bottle of water she held out to him. "You were great!" she chirped.

"Thanks," he gasped after chugging half the water. "It went better than I expected."

"It was totally-… Oh my gosh!" She abruptly cut off and squealed happily when she glanced over Roxas's shoulder.

"Ouch, Rikku, what was that for?" Roxas wiggled a finger in his ear. "Good grief."

"Over there! It's… it's… Oh my gosh, I can't wait until Yunie and Olette come back for a break! They'll totally die of happiness!" The over-enthusiastic blonde was babbling like a brook. "I can't believe I'm seeing this! But why-"

"Rikku."

"-are they here in the first place? I didn't know they liked this kind of-"

"_Rikku_."

"-thing at all! I wonder if I can talk to them-"

"_Rikku!_"

The green-eyed girl blinked. "What?"

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Roxas demanded.

"Behind you, in the stands… My three favorite actors, like, _ever_ are sitting in one of the special boxes reserved for… well, special people," Rikku pointed upwards, and Roxas followed her gesture to see several people seated in the area she had mentioned. He guessed that the younger-looking ones, a blonde, a redhead, and a boy with what seemed to be silver hair, were the actors Rikku was talking about. "I'm totally in love with the silver-haired guy, but it's kinda weird because his name is Riku too, but it only has one K in it."

"Yeah… That's really weird," Roxas began edging away from her, noticing the glazed-over look of total adoration in her eyes. "Um… I need to go do some stretches before my next event. Bye." The blonde boy hurried away, glad to be free of the obsessive Rikku. On his way towards the stretching area, a foot stuck out in front of him without warning and he fell forwards, barely managing to roll and stand up again.

"Better watch where you're going, lamer."

Roxas gritted his teeth and kept walking. _Damn that Seifer_.

"Hey, chicken wuss, I'm talking to you!" The blonde boy turned to face his adversary, doing his best to look calm. "That's better. I hope your pathetic excuse for a team at least _tries_ to give us some competition. I hate being bored almost as much as I hate your lousy guts."

"I think your pantyhose are on too tight, Seify," Roxas taunted. "Be careful you don't cut off the circulation to your brain."

The blonde boy began walking away again, giving the other boy five seconds to figure out what he meant. "Hey! You're gonna get it!"

"No bad-mouthing the other guys, y'know?" one of Seifer's teammates, a very tall, muscular boy said. "We could get docked points."

Another one of the Stars, a lithe girl with cold eyes and blue hair, nodded. "Peace."

"Oh, have it your way," Seifer grumbled.

Roxas smiled to himself as he went and sat down on the stretch mat, glad to be away from the hot-headed boy. He did several backbends to loosen the nervous tension in his muscles and then stood and did a few simple exercises to prepare himself for his next event, which thankfully wasn't for a few minutes, so he could catch his breath. He watched from afar as Olette took her turn on the vault, flying gracefully through the air to land without so much as a tremble in her body. Yuna was on the parallel bars, twisting her way between them in a serious of fast hand motions that Roxas could barely follow. Wakka was on the pommel horse, showing of his powerful arms, and Tidus watched with a hint of envy, waiting for his turn. Selphie was on a break as well, and came to join Roxas as he watched.

"They're all great," she said with a small smile. "I hope the judges can see how hard we've worked to get this good. It seems so effortless, but so many hours of hard training went into it all…"

Roxas blinked, wondering if she'd eaten something funny. Selphie was not known for her sentimental side. If anything, she was the one who was always just a little too blunt and a little too clueless. Still, he agreed. "Yeah. I hope they do, too."

Finally, it was Roxas's turn to take on the high bar, the one event he was sure he'd nail because of the hours he'd spent on the bar back at the gym, just hanging there to strengthen his arms. After the judges took his name, one of the assistants helped him jump up and cling to the bar.

Adjusting his grip slightly, Roxas began swinging his legs back and forth, testing the bar he was hanging onto. Then, he began swinging himself higher and higher until he picked up enough momentum to circle the bar, air whizzing past him. He swung around a few times, switching handholds, before doing a handstand on the very top of the bar and changing directions. Without warning, one of his hands slipped of the bar, when he was in the middle of a rotation, causing his heart to skip a beat. He launched himself into the air at the arc of the circle and came back down with both hands planted firmly on the cold metal. After he righted himself, he saw the actors and the other people with them that Rikku pointed out staring at him in open-mouthed astonishment. Two of the older men were whispering to each other, seeming very excited. Roxas dismissed this and continued his routine, doing several more launches straight up into the air and a few more directional changes until, with a huge leap and several twists through the air, he landed feet-first on the mat and threw his hands up.

The judges were almost as astounded as the group in the box, staring at the blonde boy for a moment before hastily writing down the scores he had received. Hiding a smile, Roxas went back over to the Sunsets' bench and sat down, letting his pounding heart slow down. He had been terrified that he was going to fall from the bar and lose every single point the judges might have given him, although he was good enough at hiding it. It had only been a fluke, a lucky accident, that he had managed to fling himself up and come back down right on target. He hoped things would go better in the floor performance later.

Eventually, after the morning events were all completed and the scores were calculated, the gymnasts and the audience got to have a short break for lunch. Roxas led his team towards the group he recognized as their friends and family standing in the center of the huge cafeteria.

"Roxas, that was amazing!" Sora pounced on Roxas but instantly recoiled. "Eurgh, you're all wet!"

"It's called sweating, dear brother," Roxas deadpanned. "You should try it sometime."

Sora stuck out his tongue at him and then proceeded to greet the rest of the team, now wary of how sweaty they all were. After this, they picked a couple of tables near the windows and left a couple people there to claim them while the rest got their food. As soon as everyone was present, they broke into several different conversations.

The group consisted of Wakka's girlfriend Lulu and his younger brother Chappu, Tidus's uncle Auron, Yuna and Rikku's friend Paine, Olette's cousin Pence and boyfriend Hayner, as well as Sora and his and Roxas's parents. All of them had known each other for quite a while, having lived in the same schooling zone for several years.

Roxas, not really listening to Rikku babbling about the actors from earlier to Yuna, glanced around at the large room to see who else was there. He recognized few faces aside from Seifer and his cronies sitting with the rest of their team and a handful of other gymnasts.

"Um, hey, I'll be right back," Sora said suddenly, bringing his brother back to reality. "I've gotta go to the, uh, bathroom." The brunette stood and hurried out of the room without another word.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "He probably doesn't even know where it is. I'll go help him." He got up and followed his brother, barely managing to keep in sight amongst the crowds of people flooding into the cafeteria. However, Sora not only went in the opposite direction from his apparent destination, but he seemed to be looking for someone, periodically stopping to check the occupants of the hallway. Eventually, the crowd began thinning out, and soon the only people in the hallway were Roxas, Sora, and a few people going the opposite direction.

"Sora?" Roxas shot behind the corner of a hallway as a head poked out of a door down the hall. "Is that you?" He didn't recognize the voice.

"Riku!" Roxas heard his brother exclaim. He peeked around the corner to see his brother and the silver-haired actor from before standing in he middle of the hall kissing passionately - wait, _kissing?_ When did that happen? "I'm so glad to see you again! It's been way too boring without you around."

The silverette grinned. "I can imagine. So, I saw your brother performing earlier… His skills are really quite impressive. I think Ven - and the casting director - are going to be extremely happy if they look as alike as you said they do."

"I promise, spitting image!" Sora assured him. "It's like they're long-lost twins, or something."

"Well, that's good. If he gets accepted, you'll be just a few miles away from him. We all might even end up living together," Riku said with a smile.

"_All_ of us, as in…"

"Yes, that includes Axel, unfortunately," Riku replied.

"Well, shit. Um… Okay. So, do you want to go and meet my family and friends now, while you get to be away from your little entourage?" Sora asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Riku nodded, grinning again. "I would love too. Still think your brother's gonna flip his shit, like you said he would?"

Sora shrugged and took his hand. "Who knows. That guy is unpredictable."

Roxas tried to turn around and make a break for it so the pair wouldn't see him as they walked by, but his bare feet slipped on the linoleum and he went sprawling on his back right at their feet. He stared up at them from the ground, his cheeks flushed. "Oops."

"Roxas!" Sora squeaked in terror, hiding behind Riku. "Oh my gosh, don't kill me, please!"

Riku helped the blonde boy up and Roxas cocked an eyebrow. "Sora, why the hell would I want to kill you? I would go to jail for murder."

Sora's blue eyes peeked at him from over Riku's shoulder. "This is my boyfriend Riku. We met at the beginning of college last year. He's a year ahead of me."

Roxas's jaw hit the floor. His brother wasn't _gay_. No way. "Is it April Fool's Day or something? Or did I hear you wrong?"

The brunette looked hurt. "You don't believe me? I can prove it, you know. Riku's dick is-… Mmph!"

Riku slapped a hand over the shorter boy's mouth, his face reddening. "Sora, I swear to all that is holy, if you ever try to tell anyone that, I'll kill you."

Roxas stared at the two of them in horror, eyes wide. "Oh God. You're serious. But… But… When did you decide you're gay?"

Sora came to stand beside his boyfriend. "Um… Last summer, before I left for college. Girls just never really appealed to me as more than friends, so I came to the logical conclusion, I guess. We've been going out ever since last November."

Roxas shook his head in astonishment. "I can't believe it. Why didn't you tell me before?"

Sora flinched. "I thought you'd freak out, but you took it a little better than what I imagined might happen…"

"Well, uh… let's go. Everybody is probably wondering if we got lost or something."

The three boys hurried back to the cafeteria. The moment they arrived, Rikku and Yuna almost died of cardiac arrest at the sight of their favorite actor standing there holding hands with Sora.

Roxas's mother and father exchanged a glance before Cloud said, "Would you care to introduce your… er, friend, Sora?"

"This is Riku!" the brunette said with a cheerful smile. "And he's not just my friend, he's my _boy_friend!"

Rikku stood and walked over to stand in front of the pair, eyes sparkling with wonder. "Can… Can I touch your hair?" Riku cocked an eyebrow, but nonetheless allowed her too. After Rikku petted his silvery locks for a few moments, she scrambled back to her seat grinning like an idiot. "My life has just been made. Carry on."

"Well, Riku, I take it you're famous?" Sora's mother asked, looking over him with a critical eye.

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded respectfully. "Your son goes to college the same place I do. We met in one of our classes last fall."

Roxas went and sat down in his spot as his parents and the two boys talked. He was completely and utterly confused, but he was okay with it, strangely enough. Sora was his big brother, after all, and he could choose how he wanted to live. It was still a little weird, though, seeing his brother holding hands with another male.

The rest of lunch was fairly normal, aside from the fact that Yuna and Rikku were still swooning over the silver-haired actor across the table from them. Once they were all done eating, the group returned to the hallway outside the main room to wait.

"Riku, where the-… Holy hell," Roxas turned to see someone who looked _exactly like him_ run up and stop abruptly as he caught sight of him. Both blondes walked forwards, totally ignoring the stunned stares of the rest of the group behind them. The newcomer raised his right hand in a wave, and so did Roxas, mimicking his expression as well. The other blonde hopped up and a down as few times, growing more and more confused as Roxas managed to duplicate all of his actions perfectly.

"This is fucking creepy, man."

"Ventus, watch your mouth," Riku scolded him as he pulled Sora with him to stand by the two stunned blondes. "This is Sora's brother, Roxas. I think he mentioned him before…"

"But… He stole my face!" Ventus whined, pointing at Roxas's chest. "That's totally not cool!"

"How old are you, five?" a new voice said from behind Ventus. "Besides, depending on whichever one of you is older, _you_ might be the one stealing _Roxie's_ face." The blonde actor was pushed aside and a tall, lanky redhead stepped forwards, arms crossed over his chest, scrutinizing his friend's look-alike. "Well, well, you really _do_ look like him. Only you're shorter."

Roxas straightened to his full height, but still had to tilt his head at a dramatic angle to even see the stranger's eyes. "I am not shorter!"

"Oh really? Ven, c'mere," The redhead dragged the other blonde over so that he and Roxas were back to back. "Well shit, you _are_ the same height."

"Axel, language!" Riku hissed, glancing nervously at the group of very confused family and friends standing a couple of feet away.

"Yes, _mother_," The redhead sneered. Suddenly, he pushed Ventus away again and slung an arm around Roxas's shoulders, bringing his mouth so close to his ear that the blonde could feel Axel's warm breath on his neck. "Y'know, you're pretty damn cute… If I flip a coin, what are my chances of getting head?"

Roxas's eyes widened in horror. He turned scarlet and bolted, running over to hide behind his Sora and Riku. "Oh my God, save me. I think he's going to rape me!" he squeaked.

"Axel…!" the silverette growled under his breath. Riku stomped forwards and grabbed the redhead's arm, dragging him down the hall after him. "Excuse us for a minute. I need to have a little talk with my friend."

Sora blinked in confusion. "What happened?"

Roxas shuddered. "You don't want to know, Sora. You really don't."

The two actors came back after a few moments. Riku looked downright horrified and Axel looked cool as a cucumber, smirking slightly when Roxas hid behind Sora again as soon as he was in sight. "Cool it, shorty, I'm not gonna do anything to you. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that sort of thing in public. Besides, you need to be able to walk to do all of your acrobatic stuff. I can't ruin that for you, now can I?'

Roxas stuck his tongue out at the redhead in a very juvenile bout of annoyance. Axel waggled his eyebrows suggestively, earning him slaps from Riku and Ventus.

"Pervert," the other blonde muttered as he walked over to stand beside Roxas. "Sorry about him. He's impossible sometimes. In case you didn't figure it out already, I'm Ventus."

The two blondes shook hands. "Yeah, I got it. One of my friends said you guys are actors… Is that true?"

Riku arrived at that moment. "We are. The main staff of the movie we're about to film dragged us here to look for a stunt double for Ventus. Axel and I already have ours, so he's the last one. And judging by how well you've performed so far, I'm guessing you're gonna get offered the job."

Roxas's eyes lit up. When he was younger, he'd dreamed about growing up to be on the big screen, even if it was just a small background role that wasn't important, and here he was, a possible candidate for a stunt double? "You're joking. Don't people always say to beware of Greeks bearing gifts?"

"He's perfectly serious. No need to be so skeptical."

The boys jumped and turned to see one of the actors' entourage, a man with electric blue hair, standing there scribbling something on the clipboard in his hands.

"God, Saix, don't _do_ that!" Ventus whined. "You don't get paid if one of us dies of a heart attack, you know."

"I apologize," The blue-haired man responded. "But yes, Mr. Strife, Riku is serious. I'm quite impressed by your skills as a gymnast, not to mention the fact that you and Ventus are identical… Keep impressing me, and you've got yourself a job."

Roxas felt like he could've flown as he was led by the rest of his team into the arena floor when one of the assistants called them inside. He practically floated over to their bench and sat down, grinning like an idiot.

"Why do you look so happy, Roxas?" Olette said as she sat next to him. "You need to focus. Our event is in less than thirty minutes. Let's go do some stretches, okay?"

"One of the guys with those actors said I might be chosen for a stunt double in this movie they're working on," he said dreamily as he followed the brunette girl over to the stretching mat. "I'm still in shock. I'll be better soon, I promise."

"You better. If we mess this up, it could cost us a win. Look at the scores." She pointed to the glowing board at the end of the room. They were ahead of the Radiant Garden Stars by three tenths of a point.

"Crap," the blonde muttered, instantly snapped back to reality. "Okay. Time to work."

Thirty minutes wasn't long enough for Roxas to get his nerves under control. He didn't want to do this routine in front of everyone, not when he'd messed it up so many times before. Still, he had to if he wanted a shot at winning the competition, so he followed Olette out onto the mat once it was their turn to perform.

The two exchanged a slight glance as they got into position. Olette's soft green eyes seemed to say, "It's okay, Roxas, just let your body do the work for you. You know this. Make us all proud."

Olette took the first step, and their routine began.

~::~

**Author's Note**: I so totally do not love these little cliffhangers. Not at all. :D


	3. Look Before

**Author's Note:** Yay, writing. :D I'm keeping a steady schedule so far. This makes me quite happy. However, I know for a fact that next month, being NaNoWriMo, is going to be chaos, so don't get too used to weekly updates. I'll do my best to have a backlog so I can still post as I'm scrambling to write 50k words in 30 days...

Chapter Three: Look before you leap.

~::~

Roxas allowed himself to take one deep breath before he began, going through the steps in his head as he went. Somersault. Push Olette back up. Back flip. He ignored the roaring crowds in the stands staring down at him, focusing only on his desire to win the competition and put Seifer in his place.

The finale of their routine approached, and Selphie's suggestion from before echoed in his ears, loud and clear. "Spread your feet apart." Instinctively, his legs moved, and just milliseconds later, Olette landed in his outstretched arms, safe and sound. He didn't wobble an inch before letting her down at the judges applauded. He panted all the way back to their bench, stunned that he had managed to pull that off.

"That was excellent, Roxas!" Rikku congratulated him. "I'm sure we'll win!"

The blonde boy smiled at Yuna's over-zealous cousin tiredly, gulping down several large mouthfuls of water. "I sure hope so, Rikku. I hope."

By the time the majority of the individual events and floor performances were completed, Roxas was beginning to get antsy. He watched the scoreboard as the numbers fluctuated, showing that the Sunsets and the Stars were tied for first place, something that was almost unheard of.

"And so, ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of today's events," the announcer said over the loudspeakers. "However, seeing as we have a tie for first place at the current time, the judges have decided that the two teams must go head-to-head to claim the title of state champions!"

Roxas, Tidus, Yuna, Selphie, Olette, Wakka, and Rikku all stared at each other in horror. There was no way they could beat Seifer and his team like that, not now that they were all so tired!

"Seeing as we have yet to see the group performances yet, we will allow the remaining teams to show us their routines so the Stars and the Sunsets may get ready for their face-off," the announcer continued. "So, without further ado, please welcome the first group!"

As the crowd applauded, Roxas and his team raced to the practice room they had been in earlier and began feverishly working on their group routine. It wasn't an easy one, and in several instances, there were still small mistakes that could cost them points if they were caught by the judges.

"I swear to God, I'm going to kill Seifer if he walks away with the title this year," Olette growled under her breath, something many of the others on the team had never seen. She was usually the calm one, talking sense back into others when they were angry.

"Olette, I think you should-..."

"Come on, into formation!" she barked. "We've got to get this right!"

Things started to go disastrously wrong after that. Wakka dropped Selphie when he was supposed to catch her after a back flip, Yuna lost her balance while doing a handstand, Tidus tripped over a somersaulting Roxas, and Olette was downright furious.

"Stop!" she finally exclaimed. "Just stop, everybody!"

The other five gymnasts froze. Roxas, who was in mid-back flip, flopped onto his back in confusion. "Let's all just cool down for a minute. Our concentration is shot." Rikku brought them all ice-cold bottles of water, which they took gratefully. "We can't focus on just trying to beat Seifer here, guys," Roxas continued as they all sat down on the mat. "We're doing this because we love it, not because of some stupid ass who thinks he owns the world. Our family and friends are all proud of us for getting as far as we have. So let's make them even more proud by doing the best we can!"

The other five member of the team stared at Roxas in amazement. He wasn't the most talkative person at times, and that was one of the longest speeches he'd ever made, even in front of them, his friends.

After a moment's hesitation, Olette nodded. "He's right. We've got to stop letting Seifer get to our heads. Let's go out there and enjoy ourselves. Who cares if we win or lose?"

"But I thought-..." Tidus elbowed Wakka in the ribs. "That was a little harsh, brudda. I was only kidding, ya?"

Yuna rolled her eyes and stood, wiping her forehead with a towel. "Well, in that case, let's try it again. Maybe we can get it right this time."

In less than ten minutes, the group was back out in the arena. However, the equipment from earlier had been moved to the sides so that the gymnasts had the majority of the floor space to work with. One of the judges came up and asked for the captains of each team. Seifer walked forwards, a smug smile on his face. Olette looked like she was about to move when suddenly she pushed Roxas up instead. The blonde shot her a confused glance over his shoulder, but didn't ask why she had done it.

"Seifer, since your team won last year, you get to perform first," the judge said. "Whichever team that shows us they have superior knowledge of how to perform a group routine will be declared the winners. May the best team win."

"This is pointless," Seifer murmured as the judge walked away, just loud enough for the opposing team to hear. "We're gonna cream you lamers and send you home crying like the bunch of big babies you are." He then turned and followed his team towards the center of the mat.

Roxas held his teammates back as they attempted to rush the arrogant boy while his back was turned to them. "Come on, let's go sit down and see what they do. I'm sure we can top whatever it is."

To his dismay, however, the display the Radiant Garden Stars put on was spectacular. They did masterful flips and cartwheels, launching off of each other's arms and shoulders to fly several feet into the air before landing again, almost instantly pushing off into another series of flips after. However, the perfection didn't last, because right at the finale, as Rai, Seifer and, Fuu, the three more experienced gymnasts, posed, Seifer's left knee buckled and he toppled to the ground, bringing the girl he was holding above his head with him. Rai tried to catch them, but ended up underneath the two fuming people.

Roxas clapped a hand over his mouth, unsure whether he was masking his horror or his amusement. That was such a juvenile mistake to be making at this level... Seifer was going to be embarrassed about that for years to come.

"Thank you for your performance," the announcer said, a note of pity sounding in his voice. "Now, will the Twilight Town Sunsets please take the floor?"

Roxas stood and led his team out onto the bright blue mat, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet to test the tension of the springs below them. He gave his teammates a reassuring smile as they got into place, and then the music accompanying their routine began.

The other five members started out in a V-shaped formation, with Roxas standing facing Olette, the very tip of the shape. Keeping in time with music, he pushed off and did several front flips before rolling into a somersault, and attempting to knock over the others like bowling pins. Olette leaped over him and went in her own series of flips, followed by Yuna and Selphie, and finally, Tidus and Wakka. The five of them landed in a perfect line across the mat from Roxas, who began back-flipping across almost as soon as he finished his somersaults. Wakka and Tidus dove to the sides and rolled around so they were behind Roxas when he landed next, allowing Yuna and Selphie to run past either side of the blonde and launch themselves into the air, allowing the two boys to catch them and then catapult them even higher, twisting and turning in the air until they landed. While this was going on, Olette and Roxas were doing a sort of improvised dance that consisted of flipping around one another, so close that they could reach out and touch the other person, but they managed to keep empty air between them. Roxas finally released her and back flipped to join the other boys, throwing Olette into the air just milliseconds after the other two girls became airborne. The three females landing in a row facing the boys, who took their hands and began twirling them around, dancing to the music with much exaggerated twisting and turning. As the end of the music approached, they increased their grips and began swinging the three girls around in unison, never once hitting each other or losing their balance. As the last notes of the music played, they threw them up into the air and then caught them as they came back down, throwing their free arms upwards.

The crowd erupted with applause, and Roxas felt like his heart was about to burst with pride. They were cheering for him, for his team. They might just have done it.

The judges took a few minutes to deliberate, and then the two teams vying for championship were told to wait in the center of the floor. Seifer sneered in disgust at the Sunsets. His only response was a smug smirk from Roxas.

"Now, I would like to announce the winners of today's competition..." Roxas felt his body tense as the announcer spoke. "The team that has won the honor of being the championship team this year is... The Twilight Town Sunsets!"

"Yes!" Roxas shouted, punching the air above him. His team crowded in on him, hugging and laughing as they leapt up and down. Rikku raced out to them and threw herself in with them, elated that her friends had finally won they title they deserved. After a few moments, they disentangled themselves to shake their adversaries' hands.

"You just got lucky," Seifer muttered as he clasped Roxas's hand. "Next year, we'll take back our title. Count on it."

"Get real," Roxas retorted with a grin. "We're gonna make you work for it."

The winning team was smothered by their group of supporters when they emerged from the main room. Sora practically suffocated Roxas he was so happy. It only thanks to Riku that the blonde escaped with his chest cavity still intact.

"I think you all deserve a special treat for this," Tifa said, smiling at the new champions. "But first, go get cleaned up and change."

"Yes, mom," they six of them said obediently, running for the locker room as she held up her fist threateningly.

After taking their showers, redressing, and gathering their things, the whole team emerged from the locker room and headed back towards the others. However, Saix, the blue-haired man from before, materialized and pulled Roxas to the side, earning some very confused looks from the other five teens.

"Your last performance was quite intriguing," the man said. "I've talked it over with my partners, and we've decided to offer you the role of Mr. Knight's stunt double. Expect a letter in the mail within the next few days with all of the details. I'm sure I'll see you again." Without even letting the blonde boy ask the questions bubbling up inside him, Saix turned and walked off down the corridor.

Roxas stood there staring at the back of the man's shirt, dumbfounded. This was it, his chance to get into the acting business. Even if he _was_ only a stunt double and wouldn't have lines, still, he would be acknowledged for his role. It was a surreal feeling.

"Roxas? You okay, brudda?" Wakka waved a hand in front of his face, jolting the blonde back to reality. "That guy was kinda creepy, ya? What did he say to you?"

"He told me that I've been offered the part of a stunt double in an upcoming movie." It sounded strange coming out of his own mouth.

"We've gotta go tell your family!" Selphie gasped, grabbing Roxas and dragging the poor boy along behind her, the rest of the group following at a more sedate pace. The moment their family and friends came into sight, Selphie released Roxas and ran over to Cloud and Tifa and began babbling excitedly. The two startled adults couldn't make out a word she was saying, so Sora, known himself for bouts of uncontrollable talking, translated.

"Selphie says that this weird guy with blue hair talked to Roxas… Something about being offered a part in a movie with those actor guys Riku was hanging out with as a stunt double," the brunette explained to his parents.

Roxas came in at the tail end of this conversation to see his mother and father staring at him in utter surprise. "Roxas, honey, are you going to accept?"

The blonde hesitated. "I… I don't know. Saix - the guy who talked to me - said I'd be getting a letter sometime soon with all the stuff I need to know. I won't make any decisions until I see the terms."

"That's my boy," Cloud said, ruffling his son's hair. "Smart like your father. Always remembers to look before he leaps."

"So I'm smart like mom?" Sora asked indignantly. "Remember who's in college here. Oh, also, I think Riku said Roxas could go to school with me if he decides to take the part. He's got scholarship offers from a bunch of places… I'm sure Destiny College would love to have him."

"I think that would be wise," Tifa said, patting her other son on the head. "That way we'd know where both of you were all the time, isn't that right?" Her sons groaned.

"Hey, Uncle Auron wants to know when we're getting out of here," Tidus walked over to them, motioning back to the tall, dark-haired man in red standing a few feet away. "He said he's hungry."

Tifa rolled her eyes and smiled. "We can go now. Everybody outside!"

The group followed her out into the parking lot, Tidus and Wakka fighting over who got to hold the trophy. When they got to their group of cars, Olette stole it from them and gave it to Yuna for safe-keeping. The two boys pouted as they went to their respective vehicles and waited for the rest of their car-mates to catch up.

"Okay. I think our wonderful gymnasts deserve a huge dinner after all they work they put in today… How does pizza sound?" The teens cheered, making Tifa smile slightly. "Then pizza it is. Let's all meet up at that place downtown, Vivi's, okay?"

The group nodded and separated into their cars. Cloud was the first to pull out and get onto the highway. The restaurant his wife had directed everyone to was only a few minutes away in the downtown area of Hollow Bastion, a tiny family-run business that was dwarfed by the towering buildings around it, but the customers were faithful, so they always came back for more.

Roxas stared out the window as they drove, daydreaming about what it would be like on the set of a real movie. He came back to reality when his brother tapped him on the shoulder. "What?"

"So what did you think of Riku?" the brunette asked hopefully. "And the other guys with him. If you end up going, you'll be stuck with them for a while."

"I think Riku's a nice guy, from what I've seen. I'm glad you two are happy," Roxas replied. "As for the others… Well, frankly, seeing Ventus really creeped me out. I can't believe how identical we look. And as for Axel… Well, the things I could call him are generally not acceptable for public use."

"Oh, Roxas, he couldn't have been that bad," their mother interjected, obviously listening to their conversation. "Just give him a chance, if you do take the part."

The blonde grumbled something under his breath and fell silent, resuming his staring out the window for the remainder of the ride.

Their dinner was amazing, as the food at Vivi's always was. The whole group laughed and talked for a while as they ate, but Roxas felt as if he were in his own little world where he sat in the corner of the large booth they were seated in. His whole day had been a whirl or surreal events and unexpected twists. It was hard to comprehend.

That night, after the long drive back home, Roxas found himself unable to sleep despite being bone-tired. He tossed and turned in his bed for hours, his thoughts racing through his head. Sora was gay. His boyfriend was a famous actor. There was a boy who looked just like him, down to the spiky blonde hair on his head. He could finally get onto the big screen. There was a redheaded man who desperately wanted to get in his pants for some reason.

Roxas wrinkled his nose and turned on his side. What was his name…? Asshole, or something like that? He was even creepier than his look-alike. If he had to spend time with _that_ weirdo, he'd probably go insane. Still, a movie role was a movie role, so he could live with a little insanity. Sora was his brother, after all, so it wasn't like hadn't been through it before.

Still, this whole scenario was just surreal. It seemed as if by some undeserved, lucky stroke of Fate that Riku just happened to have met Sora in college, they just happened to become boyfriends, Riku was an actor, he was in a new movie, one of his co-stars needed a stunt double, Roxas was his spitting image… It was all so strange, almost like a movie in itself and they way things were playing out.

However, he never could have guessed how much more confusion, ridiculousness, and trouble he was getting himself into until the day the letter promised to him by Saix arrived.

~::~

**Author's Note:** ...and cue another semi-cliffhanger! Short chapters are so much easier to write under time constraints... See you again with another update next week, hopefully!


	4. He Who Hesitates

**Author's Note:** Hello again, my darlings! Not much to say other than the fact that I apologize for the long delay - school is eating my soul - and that I thank everyone who has reviewed/faved/alerted this story so far. I'm glad to know you're enjoying it. All right, go read now!

Chapter Four: He who hesitates is lost.

~::~

"Roxas Roxas Roxas Roxas!"

"Sora, what the _hell_ do you want?" The blonde boy groaned and rolled over in his bed to see his brother bouncing up and down next to his bed, his face alight with excitement.

"Your letter came! It's downstairs!"

It took Roxas's sleepy mind a moment to register this news. Once it did, however, he leapt out of bed and raced down to the kitchen to find a pristine white envelope sitting at his place at the kitchen table. Slowly, almost reverently, he walked forwards and sat down, picking up the thick package.

His father, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee across from him, raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to open it?"

"I… Yeah," Roxas carefully tore open the flap and pulled out a surprisingly large stack of papers. "Wow. That's a lot of paper."

"I think they sent you a dictionary by mistake," Sora joked as he came in and plopped down next to his brother. "Go on, read it! I wanna know what it says!"

Roxas's eyes scanned the words on the page in front of him. Sora watched in confusion as his brother's eyes grew wider and wider as the seconds ticked away. Finally, the brunette could bear it no longer and exclaimed, "Your eyes look like dinner plates! What does it say?"

"Holy freaking crap," Roxas breathed, hands shaking as he handed the letter to his brother and pointed to a paragraph near the bottom.

Sora's jaw hit the floor and he dropped the piece of paper. "You're _shitting_me. No way in hell can they pay you that much for one movie!"

"Sora," Cloud warned, not particularly fond of obscenities being uttered in his house.

Tifa, upon hearing her older son's startled exclamation, rushed over. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Roxas is gonna get paid sixty-five grand for this stunt double job, not to mention the fact that the college I go to has extended a full scholarship offer to him!" Sora pointed to his brother. "That's totally not fair!"

Roxas was still in shock, staring at the table in front of him, hands clasped tightly in his lap. His brother's words echoed in his head. _Sixty-five__grand.__College__scholarship_. There was no way this was really happening.

Tifa and Cloud both stared at their younger son, stunned speechless. Before he could even move, Tifa pounced on him and began smothering him with a tight hug. "Oh, my little baby, I'm so proud! Who would've thought this kind of opportunity would ever come along? I'm so happy for you!"

"Mom! Choking!" Roxas gasped. His mother released him and kissed him on the forehead before backing off. "I… I really don't know what to do. There's a lot of stuff to read here, and I need some time to let all of this sink in… Can I go back to my room?"

"Of course, dear," his mother said with a sweet smile.

The blonde boy stood and collected all of the papers and the envelope they had come in. Sora followed him up the stairs and grabbed him before he could enter his room. "Hey, I want to say something to you."

"What, Sora?" Roxas asked, exasperated.

"He who hesitates is lost."

Roxas gave him a quizzical look. "Since when did you start getting all philosophical? Did you get high off Sharpies again?"

Sora chuckled, clearly remembering that little incident a couple of years earlier, the main reason he was no longer allowed to own one of said writing utensils. "No, not this time. But… It's something Riku said to me once, when he asked me out for the first time. He said that people miss so many good opportunities when they wait too long to make a decision. I don't want to make you biased or anything, but… seriously, I think you should accept. When's the next time you're ever going to get an offer like this? People don't go around just handing out sixty-five thousand dollars and a college scholarship. Just… think about it, okay?" With that, Sora disappeared downstairs, leaving a very surprised Roxas standing in the doorway to his room.

~::~

"Are we there yet?"

The other occupants of the car groaned.

"For the thirty-fourth time, Sora, _no_, we are not there yet."

The Strife family was on their way to the airport to see Sora and Roxas off. After almost a week of careful deliberation and weighing the potential outcomes of the choice he was going to make, Roxas had deemed that he'd much rather have the money and a good college education along with a few unknown events rather than have to pay his way through college and live his usual, predictable life. The wait between then and now, almost a whole month, had been excruciatingly slow.

Sora grumbled something under his breath and slumped down in his seat, staring moodily out the window. Roxas rolled his eyes and half-heartedly poked around in his bag to find something to entertain himself with. However, before too much longer, their father announced, "All right, Sora, _now_ we're here."

"Yay!" Sora leapt out of the car about half a second after it stopped moving and began dragging all of the suitcases in the trunk out and dumping them onto the pavement. "Come on! Riku said he's gonna be waiting for us!"

"Give me that!" Roxas rolled his eyes as he grabbed his suitcase from his brother before it got thrown onto the haphazard pile of bags. "You two are ridiculous. Ever since you came out to us, you've been talking almost non-stop on the phone. Don't you ever get tired of hearing each other?"

"It's love!" Sora said dreamily, batting his eyelashes at his brother. "You're too young to understand it yet."

"You idiot, I'm only a year younger than you!" the younger boy protested.

"Whatever. Younger is younger," The brunette shrugged and grabbed his bags. "But really, come on. Riku said if that if you make me late, he'll sic Axel on you."

"Oh, _shit_ no!" Roxas took off for the walkway that led to the main building of the airport.

"Who's Axel, and why is Roxas so afraid of him?" Tifa questioned her other son.

Sora smirked to himself. "Oh, he's just a friend of Riku's."

Once they were all inside, Sora led the way to the spot where he said Riku would be waiting for him. The threat of being molested by Axel still hanging over his head like a crimson-haired cloud of doom, Roxas followed behind him quickly, making his parents exchange confused looks and leaving Sora red-faced from trying not to laugh.

Suddenly, about halfway down the terminal, Sora dropped all of his things and went sprinting forwards, shouting elatedly, "_Riiiiiiiiiikuuuuuuuuu!_" The silverette barely had time to recognize the brown blur before it struck him with the force of a small hurricane, knocking him off his feet and sending them both crashing to the ground. Sora ended up on top of his boyfriend, knees either side of his hips and hands planted next to his head. "Hi."

Much to Roxas's surprise, instead of freaking out, Riku acted as if this happened on a daily basis, which the blonde got the eerie feeling actually did. "Hey, Sor. How've you been?"

"In the last two hours since I called you? Bored," the brunette responded, picking himself up and offering a hand to the other boy. "You?"

"Hungry," Riku replied, brushing himself off and ignoring the strange looks from passers-by at the scene that had just unfolded. "Once we get on the plane, I'm probably going to eat the entire fridge."

"Fine, but if you touch my pudding, I'll hurt you!" Roxas knew from experience that this was a very, _very_ serious threat. The first time he'd accidentally eaten his brother's favorite dessert, he'd had a black eye for a week.

"Okay!" the silverette squeaked, obviously knowing the dire consequences should he deem to steal any of Sora's precious pudding.

Roxas and his parents walked over to where the two boys were standing. Cloud nodded to Riku and Tifa gave him one of her bone-crushing hugs. Roxas merely tilted his head up in acknowledgment.

"So, which plane are we taking?" Sora asked excitedly.

Riku shook his head. "I told you earlier, remember? We're taking my private jet."

Roxas stared at him in shock. "How rich _are_ you?"

"Be polite!" Tifa tapped him sharply on the head with her fist.

"Ouch, Mom! Sorry. When are we leaving?" the blonde apologized.

Riku looked down at the pile of luggage in front of him. "As soon as we can get all of these checked and on the plane. I'm going to warn you now, it's a long trip, and-"

"Well, hey there, Roxie. Nobody told me _you_ were joining our little party," A shiver of disgust and fear raced down Roxas's spine as a thin but surprisingly strong arm slung itself over his shoulders. A flash of crimson in the corner of his eye confirmed his worst suspicions. Axel's voice dropped to a whisper as he continued, lips tickling the shell of the blonde boy's ear. "Y'know, we're gonna have a lot of down time on that plane… Let's have a party and invite your pants to come on down."

Roxas turned scarlet and flailed helplessly against the redhead, who, without a word, picked him up and carried him over to the gate that led to Riku's private jet. "Calm down, kid, I'm not gonna rape you. Can't a guy have a little fun every now and then? I find it _so_ entertaining to make you squirm."

"Sora, help!" Roxas squealed. "Get him off me!"

The brunette boy rolled his eyes and walked over to the two of them, grabbing Axel by the wrist and dragging him back to where his parents were standing next to Riku, looks of utter confusion plastered on their faces. "Sorry, Mom, Dad. This is Axel, Riku's friend and another one of the actors in the movie Roxas is going to be in. Ventus, the other lead male… Hey, where is Ventus?"

"Eraqus wouldn't let him leave," Axel replied, a note of distaste in his voice. "Something about him being too young and too famous to be going out in public with no one but two other equally young and famous people as his companions. He obviously forget that I'm two years older than both of you."

"Quit reminding me," Riku grumbled. "Anyways, we'd better be going now if we want to make it to our destination before Saix decides to murder us for tardiness. It was nice seeing you again, Mr. and Mrs. Strife. I promise we'll take good care of Roxas while he's at the studio."

Roxas, who had just walked back over, was immediately smothered by his mother again. She had tears in her eyes when she pulled back. "I can't believe my baby is finally going to college, and also to work in Hollywood, no less! Be safe, hon. You too, Sora, dear." She hugged her other son and then stood back so Cloud could say his goodbyes.

"Like your mother said, be safe," The blonde man clapped both of his sons on their backs and then nodded to the two other boys standing to the side. "If anything happens to either of them, I'm holding you two responsible."

Axel and Riku both saluted and then hurried towards the gate, not wanting to further incur the wrath of the notorious ex-military officer. Roxas and Sora followed with their bags, taking one last glance at their parents before stepping into the gate.

Both boys nearly died of happiness when they saw the inside of Riku's plane for the first time. There was a full-size fridge stuffed with food, a video game console hooked up to a huge flat-screen TV, several fluffy bean bag chairs, and an enormous sofa piled with cushions.

"Dude, how rich _are_ you?" Sora gasped, instantly throwing himself onto one of the bean bags. "This is _awesome!_"

Riku smirked. "I don't think I'm at liberty to say. My lawyer doesn't like me flaunting my wealth."

"Yeah, like you need to brag about anything else…" Axel muttered under his breath.

"For that, I'm throwing all of your Chinese food out of the window." Riku walked towards a door at the end of the room and the redhead stared at him in horror for a split second before lunging at him. Axel managed to grab his ankles and bring him crashing to the floor. The two boys tussled for a few moments until the door opened and a tall, muscular man with short, unruly brown hair entered. Upon seeing the boys rolling around on the ground, cursing at each other vehemently, he sighed and shook his head before picking them both up by the collars and holding them apart.

"You stupid red-… Oh. Hi, Lexaeus," Riku instantly calmed down, seeming as if this was the most normal thing in the world. "Sorry. Axel jumped me."

"You threatened my food!" the redhead exclaimed indignantly.

As the two boys continued to quarrel, Roxas glanced at his brother, who was trying desperately not to laugh. "Are they always like this?"

"Pretty much," Sora responded. "You get used to it after about a week."

Lexaeus set down the two boys he was holding and then, after giving them both very stern glances, returned to where he was before. Riku immediately went and flopped down on one of the bean bag chairs next to Sora, giving the other boy a wide smile. Roxas watched his brother for a few moments, a twinge of jealousy making his heart ache, before he went and sat down on the couch. Axel disappeared through the door and returned a few seconds later with several different kinds of food in his hands. He tossed a package of pudding and a couple of spoons to the two on the bean bags, and then, of course, decided to sprawl out on the sofa Roxas was occupying, his feet landing squarely in the blonde boy's lap.

"Move your feet, please," Roxas gritted out, trying to ignore the weight of the redhead's probably size twenty-something shoes on his thigh.

"No can do, Roxie," Axel replied, cracking open a can of soda. "You're on my couch."

Roxas glared at him. "That's funny. I didn't see your name on it."

Axel didn't respond for a few moments as he shoved a couple of chocolate chip cookies in his mouth. Finally, he said, abruptly changing the subject, "You know, green's really not your color." The shorter boy glanced down at his dark green hoodie, a slight frown furrowing his eyebrows. "You know what would look good on you?"

Roxas stole a can of soda from the redhead and opened it, taking a huge swig to avoid answering for a moment. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and replied, "No, I don't. Since you seem to know so much, what do you suggest?"

"Me."

The blonde choked on the liquid he had just poured into his mouth and the carbonated drink spewed out of his mouth, drenching the front of his clothes. He coughed and then nearly dropped his drink when Axel's foot dug into a certain area that he would much rather _not_ be touched. Roxas tried to wriggle out from under the sneakers on top of him, but he was trapped between them and the arm of the sofa, much to his dismay.

"Axel!" Riku said sharply, wiping the grin off of his friend's face. "Stop terrorizing him! He's obviously _not_ going to sleep with you, so just give up and spare the rest of us a lot of annoyance."

Roxas, upon realizing that Riku had said those dreaded words, managed to push Axel off the couch and dove behind the bean bag chair where his brother was sitting, now scared out of his wits. "Keep him away from me! I swear to God, if he tries to even _touch_ me, I'll cut off-"

"Roxas."

"-his dick and shove it-"

"_Roxas_."

"-into the hole in his face and make him _eat_ the damn thing!"

"_Roxas!_" Sora shouted. Roxas blinked up at him from his place on the floor. "Dude, calm the fuck down. Like, really. We won't let anything happen to you. Besides, Axel could go to jail for that, so Saix would kill him if he ever found out."

"The creepy blue-haired dude?" the younger boy asked, sitting up. "Well, that's kind of reassuring, I guess. I don't care as long as he stays away from me."

The remainder of the next few hours was spent in awkward silence, Sora and Riku not wanting to bother the other two boys, both of who seemed exceedingly pissed-off and liable to snap if pushed any further. Axel had shoved his head phones into his ears and had his music turned up so loud that the others could hear it clearly from across the room. Roxas sat in the opposite corner, trying to read one of the books he brought with him, but he was too distracted by trying to make sure that Axel hadn't moved in the last five seconds since he checked.

It was only upon their disembarking from Riku's private jet that any of the boys decided it was safe to speak again. Sora immediately began chattering away to Riku about how excited he was to see everyone again. Roxas and Axel made a point not to look at each other as they stepped through the gate into the airport terminal, following behind Sora, Riku, and Lexaeus, who Roxas took to be their bodyguard.

When they finally got out of the busy place, a limo was waiting for them. Saix was standing nearby, shuffling through a packet of papers. He looked up when the group stopped in front of him. "Ah, I'm happy to see you arrived on time. Please get into the car. It'll only be a few more minutes until we get to your accomodations."

Lexaeus took the passenger's seat and Sora and Riku shared one of the longer seats in the back, leaving Axel and Roxas to sit together. The redhead glanced down at the blonde as he sat, back ramrod straight, body angled as far away from him as possible while wearing a seatbelt.

"You know, I'm not going to just throw you down somewhere and rape you," Axel informed him, slinging an arm over the top of the seat. "I've got higher standards than that, as hard to believe as it is."

"I'm not sure whether to be reassured or slightly creeped out by you," Roxas replied, lips curling in disgust at the very thought of that scenario.

"Being both is fine by me, just so long as you don't… remove certain parts of my anatomy. I kind of need that," the redhead replied, wincing.

"Fine," When he noticed the hopeful start of a smile on Axel's face, Roxas immediately took counteractive measures. "But I still don't like you."

"Well, shit."

~::~

**Author's Note**: I don't want to sound like I'm begging, but I really do appreciate reviews. They let me know if I'm doing something right, or if there's something that needs to be fixed. So, what do you think so far?


	5. Black Sheep

**Author's Note:** Finally! I'm terribly sorry for the ridiculous wait for this chapter. I haven't had much access to the computer lately, so I've done my best to get more written. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/faved/alerted so far. You all get e-cookies. :D

~::~

Chapter Five: There is a black sheep in every flock.

~::~

The actors' "accommodations," as it turned out, was really a huge, stately white mansion with an almost Olympic-size swimming pool and immaculately kept grounds. Roxas had to squint to be able to even look at the place, rays of late summer California sun reflecting off the numerous windows high above.

"Ah, home sweet home," Axel sighed as they entered. The redhead immediately ran for a door to the left, but Lexaeus grabbed him before he could take two steps. "Aw, come on, Lex, I'm hungry!"

"Hungry?" Roxas exclaimed in bewilderment. "But you just ate like, half the fridge on the plane!"

"So?" The redhead turned to look at him. "In case you didn't notice, I have a very high metabolism." He motioned to his very girlish, curvy hips and thin waist.

Sora suddenly burst out into song, warbling in an off-key falsetto with an accent that made him sound like he was trying to yodel and speak Spanish at the same time. "You know my hips don't lie, and I'm starting to feel it's right…" To make matters even worse, the brunette grabbed Riku and started to tango with him, pulling the mildly surprised silverette along with him.

Axel glared at the two of them and then turned to Roxas again. "It's official. You're the only sane one here."

"Not for long," Roxas muttered under his breath.

After Sora had been calmed down, the four boys headed upstairs to settle into their rooms. Roxas was surprised when he found that the room he'd been given was painted his favorite shade of ocean blue and the bed was covered in huge, fluffy pillows. It was as if the decorating fairy had specially designed the room just for him. The large bay window even had a ledge covered in cushions in front of it, something Roxas had wanted in his room for a long time.

"Sora!" the blonde called as he stuck his head back out into the hallway. "Hey, bro! Come here!"

The brunette's spiky hair popped out of the doorway to his left. "What? I'm trying to unpack."

"Well, okay, but did you tell whoever set up the rooms what my dream bedroom was?"

Sora blinked. "Uh… No. Why?"

Roxas was mildly surprised, but just shook his head. "Just wondering. I really like it."

Sora beamed at him. "Great! Riku said that we'll get to go out and eat in a while, once we're all settled in. I hope we go to the Italian place nearby… It's _awesome_."

The blonde boy retreated back into his room to unpack the suitcases he brought with him. The closet was spacious, almost twice as large at the one in his room back home. All of the clothes he had brought with him fit easily into one half of it, and the rest of his belongings in the other. After making sure all his things were put away, Roxas explored his room a little more thoroughly, discovering a large, stately bathroom, a small side alcove with a pair of comfy-looking chairs in it, and all of his school books already in a bag next to his bed.

"Hey, Roxas, come here!" Upon hearing his brother's voice, the blonde poked his head out of the door and looked around.

"What?" he responded, a bit miffed at being interrupted.

Sora merely beckoned him with a sharp wave of his hand and then disappeared back into his room. Roxas rolled his eyes in exasperation as his brother's weirdness, but walked down the hall nonetheless.

Much to his surprise, the first thing he saw when he opened the door was Riku lying on the ground, covered in small, furry creatures that appeared to be cats. At least, they meowed like them.

"Uh…" Roxas's face was the epitome of confusion. "What the hell?"

Sora sat down next to his boyfriend and picked up one of the kittens, stroking it behind the ears. "Riku got me an early birthday present! But you can't tell Axel. He hates cats."

"You _do_ realize that he'll see them if they wander around the house, don't you?" Sora blinked up at his brother. "Apparently you didn't. Well, I won't tell him, but don't blame me when he finds out."

Sora seemed to be ignoring Roxas now. Instead, his focus was on the tiny creatures crawling all over the floor and Riku. The brunette picked up a brown one and said, "I'll call this one Sky because she has pretty blue eyes. The silver tabby is Earth because he has green eyes. The ginger one is Flame, because… well, he's ginger, and the female golden tabby is Light for obvious reasons."

"You're _so_ very creative," a voice dripping with disgust snarled. "Now, please enlighten me as to why there are _cats_ in the same house as me?"

"Shit!" Sora squeaked, too terrified to turn around and look at Axel, who was standing in the doorway glaring down at the small animals crawling on Riku. "Roxas, hide me!" The brunette grabbed his brother and spun him around so that his legs were literally standing between the angry redhead and him.

"What-… Hey! Don't use me as a shield!" Roxas exclaimed.

Axel ignored them and continued glaring down at the silverette lying on the floor. "Well, Riku, it looks like you've finally given birth to your kittens. Congratulations. Who's the father? Sora?"

Riku's knuckles went white as his hands curled into tight fists and his jaw clenched in anger. "Sora, get the cats off me _now_. I don't want to hurt them when I beat the shit out of the redheaded asshole over there."

As if on cue, the kittens all scrambled off him and began rolling around in a pile of pillows on the floor nearby. Riku leapt up and ran at Axel, teeth bared in a feral snarl. However, the redhead merely sidestepped and Riku went barreling into the hallway, almost slamming into the wall opposite the door. Angrily, the silverette turned around and tried to hit him again, but Axel again avoided his outstretched arm and kicked the back of Riku's knees, making him collapse to the floor. Axel dropped to his knees over Riku's torso and pinned the smaller boy to the floor, arms outstretched above his head.

"Don't try to start a fight with me, pretty boy," Axel snarled, bringing his face just inches away from Riku's. "You know you're always going to lose." Without another word, the redhead stood and stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Roxas and Sora stared after him in horror and then looked at each other, mouths hanging open in shock. "Don't look so surprised," The brothers looked over at Riku, who was now sitting up and rubbing his lower back, wincing as he did so. "Axel's more dangerous than he looks. Only reason he doesn't do his owns stunts is because Saix thinks that he's too valuable to risk damaging."

Roxas felt his knees grow weak at the notion that Axel being able to overpower him like that if he really wanted too. It was not a pleasant thought.

~::~

As it turned out, nothing the rest of the day ended up being pleasant, except for the food at the five-star Italian restaurant Riku chose to go to. The car ride there was unbearable, not one of the boys saying a word to loosen the tense silence. Lexaeus, their bodyguard/chauffer… Roxas really didn't know what he was, actually, but still, he was stoically silent the entire time. If he knew something was going on, he opted not to comment.

Once inside the Italian restaurant Riku had chosen earlier, Roxas and Sora found themselves sandwiched between Axel and the silverette in one of the half-circle booths, partly to keep them from tearing each other apart, and partly because they were forced to. The four of them looked over their menus, still silent, and then attempted to be cordial when the waiter took their orders. However, things started going downhill the moment their drinks were brought.

"Riku, I believe you have my drink," Axel gritted out from behind a sickeningly sweet fake smile.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Riku said, coughing for several seconds over the glass of water before handing it to the redhead, who in turn glared at him for a moment before picking up his napkin and flicking it so that the crumbs from the breadstick he'd eaten earlier flew across the table and landed on Riku's expensive dress shirt. The silvertte glared at him, the look in his eyes one of imminent danger.

"Guys, come on," Sora tried to mollify the two fuming men. "Let's just enjoy our dinner. We can sort this out when we get home."

"Easy for you to say," Riku muttered. "You're not the one who got accused of being a female cat."

After a moment of thought, Sora shrugged. "Fair enough."

Axel began reaching for his glass, an impish smirk on his face, but Roxas rapped him on the hand with the flat of his knife. "No. Bad. Play nice until we get home."

"Oh, so I have _two_ mothers now, do?" Axel sneered, slouching down in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. "Great. Just what I need."

"Yes, it _is_ great," Riku growled. "Maybe this way, we'll actually be able to keep you in line and stamp out all of your douchebaggery."

Axel didn't grace him with a reply due to the fact that their food arrived at that very moment. However, the redhead glared daggers at Riku until the other boy finally got fed up and snapped, "What the hell do you want? Quit staring at me, or I swear to all that is holy, I will-"

"Riku!" Sora hissed, cutting him off abruptly. "We're in public!"

The silverette looked like he was about to say something else, but took a deep breath and sighed instead. "Sorry. It's been a long day." The table lapsed into an uncomfortable silence as the four of them began eating, avoiding all eye contact with one another. Roxas wasn't particularly happy with the fact that Axel was sitting less than four inches away from him, but he bore it stoically, focusing on the mouth-wateringly good lasagna on his plate.

_Tap-tap-tap-tap._ Roxas looked up from his food to try and find the source of the annoying new noise that had come to his ears. _Tap-tap-tap-tap._ It wasn't Sora, who looked as confused as he felt. _Tap-tap-tap-tap._ It certainly wasn't Riku, who had both hands folded perfectly still and motionless on the table in front of his plate, glaring across the table at the only one of them who could the culprit.

"What?" Axel said innocently, _tap-tap-tap _ping away on the tabletop with his fingertips.

"Axel Sinclair, you're about ten seconds away from being turned into a woman with one of these spoons," Riku growled, holding up said utensils in one hand. "If you value your manhood, stop that _now_." No end was in sight, judging by the smirk curling the corners of Axel's lips.

Before Roxas could register what was happening, Riku was lunging across the table at the redhead, silverware in hand. Axel grabbed his glass, intending to throw it at the other boy, but Sora grabbed it from him and managed to set it back down on the table and stop Riku in the same movement. Roxas, as soon as he realized that Axel was about to do the same, lashed out an arm and smacked Axel's face straight into his plate of spaghetti.

All movement and sound around the four boys ceased instantly as Roxas stared in horror at what he had just done. The once-spotless white tablecloth was covered in marinara sauce. Axel lifted his head slowly to reveal that not only was it covered in sauce, but it was red with something between rage and embarrassment where the tomato-red had failed to reach. The red-faced redhead opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but suddenly stood up and bolted for the door, leaving a crowd of stunned onlookers in his wake.

~::~

"I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead."

"Roxas, shut up!" Sora and Riku exclaimed in unison. The blonde winced at their harsh tone. Sora amended this by saying, "We understand that you're terrified he's going to kill you but, let's face… The three of us combined could overpower Mr. Tomato Face any day."

"Sh!" Roxas hissed. "He might hear you!"

Riku glanced over at their car mate, looking skeptical. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen. His music's up so loud, he couldn't hear us if we started screaming bloody murder."

"Oh, that's so reassuring," Roxas sneered. He was not in a good mood. Not only had his dinner been ruined, not only had his day been spent in much too close proximity wit the redhead, but now, Axel was likely to kill and dump his body someplace no one would ever find him.

After Axel's outburst, the three other boys, along with their bodyguard/chauffer (Roxas still didn't know what to call him) Lexaeus, paid for their meal, apologized to the staff, manager, and onlookers, and then made their speedy exit. They found Axel three blocks away at a public restroom washing his face off at one of the grimy sinks. Upon seeing them, he had tried to make another break for it, but Lexaeus caught him and dragged him back to their car.

Upon their arrival at the actors' mansion, Axel fled from the car and ran all the way to his room, where he ended up staying the better part of the night without a word to anyone else. Roxas, still afraid that said redhead might murder him in his sleep, spent the few remaining hours before bed in Sora's room, playing with the kittens while Riku and Sora talked in hushed tones about something he couldn't quite make out.

Finally, curiosity overcame him, and the blonde teen turned to them and asked, "What are you two being so secretive about? Is it something I need to know for my safety, or something personal?"

Sora and Riku exchanged a glance before the silverette answered simply, "Axel."

"Ah. I see."

"No, you don't see," Sora snapped in the most bitter tone Roxas had ever heard his older brother use. The brunette instantly realized how harsh he had sounded and made amends. "Sorry. Look, we really don't want to explain much to you because Axel will kill us too, but… There's a black sheep in every flock, and Axel just happens to be the one in ours."

Roxas stared at his brother in confusion. "But… why? Can't you tell me?"

Riku shook his head with a sigh. "Not unless Axel decides he wants you to know. I can already tell it's going to drive you crazy, but please, don't go asking him about it. Once he thinks he can trust you enough with the information in question, then he'll tell you, one way or another."

The blonde teen sighed and absentmindedly scratched behind one of the kitten's ears, barely registering the engine-like purring the creature emitted. He wanted to know what Axel's deal was quite badly, especially if it meant giving him something to use against the redhead were the situation dire. But, judging by the looks on Sora and Riku's faces, he wasn't going to find out anytime soon.

Resigning himself to this fact, the blonde stretched out on the plush carpet, careful not to squash the tiny animals rolling around near him. As soon as he was horizontal, said small balls of fur leapt on him and settled into a haphazard pile on his stomach. "Um, Sora?"

"What?" The brunette said, turning to look at his brother and stopping midway, his expression changing from a tired half-scowl to a grin that threatened to stick if it stayed like that for too long. Riku turned a few seconds later when Sora burst out laughing at the indignant look on Roxas's face.

"Get the damn kittens off me!" Roxas whined, trying to stay as still as he possibly could, wincing in pain as one of the furry creatures stretched, digging its tiny claws into his stomach. "Please. Like, now. Before they fall asleep and I'm stuck in your room until they wake up."

"Looks like Sora's not the father after all," The three of them turned to see Axel standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"What do you want, Axel?" Riku said in a forebodingly calm tone.

"I'm not here to insult you anymore, believe it or not. Saix just called and said that we're all going to the studio tomorrow to get Roxie acquainted with everyone. Just a heads up so you don't stay up too late… if you know what I mean."

"I thought you weren't going to insult them," Roxas retorted, sitting up and causing the kittens on his stomach to roll down the front of his shirt onto the ground, thankfully unharmed. "Go away if you're done telling us what needs to be told."

Axel looked mildly surprised, eyebrows ascending the slightest fraction. "Cool it, kid. Look, as annoyed as I still am, I'm sorry, Riku. It's been a long day. Let's just agree to disagree peacefully from now on. Wouldn't want to bring bad luck upon the movie we're about to film, now do we?"

Riku looked like he was about to say something very unkind, but seemed to decide against it, instead opting for a much less incendiary reply. "Fair enough. I got a look at the script earlier, and I've got high hopes for this one."

The redhead stared at him in shock. "How did you get the script already? You _know_ the Bossman hates doing things off-schedule!"

"Let's just say I slipped a few checks and autographed photos to some important people," the silverette responded with a sly smile. "No big deal. What Saix doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Wait a second," Roxas said, holding up a hand as if he were in class. "Can I ask something?"

"You just did," Axel replied with a smirk. "Go ahead, blondie. Shoot."

"Well, Riku… Since I'm going to be in this film too, can I at least know the title?" Roxas questioned, pointedly ignoring Axel.

Axel and Riku exchanged a glance, and the silverette shrugged. "I guess it can't hurt. The movie we're going to be in is called '_Picture_ _Perfect_…'"

~::~

**Author's Note:** Holy titles, Batman! So, the plot kittens-... I mean, thickens. Hopefully the next chapter will be up much sooner. Ciao for now, darlings!


	6. When in Rome

**Author's Note:** Hello again, everyone! So, I finally got off my lazy butt and decided to post another chapter. I'm glad so many people are enjoying this so far, because let me tell you, it's really fun to write. Things shall start getting very interesting from this point on, I hope, so stay tuned for our friends to take a ride on the drama llama!

Chapter Six: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

~::~

"Gooooood morning, little brother!"

"Shit! Sora, give me a fucking heart attack, why don't you?"

Roxas did _not_ like being woken up early, especially when it was by being leapt upon by his overly enthusiastic, morning-loving brother. The fact that he had issues sleeping places other than his own bed didn't help the matter further. And, to add an extra helping of insult to injury, Riku and Axel were both standing in the doorway snickering under their breath.

"Shut up!" Roxas whined. "I don't wanna get up."

"Sorry, blondie, but you've got no say in the matter. The Boss-man wants all of us at the studio by eight o' clock sharp so we can get introduced to everyone who's going to be working with us. Apparently everyone really wants to see how much you and Ventus look alike," Axel replied with a smirk devoid of any sympathy. "Come on. Get dressed, and I'll make you waffles."

The redhead disappeared, leaving a stunned Roxas to fumble with the doorknob of his closet after standing and shaking his head. "Sora, what have you been telling them about me? No way in _hell_ did he just guess the only way you can bribe me out of bed in the morning?"

The brunette shrugged and glanced at Riku. "I've told Riku, but I doubt he's discussed you with Axel. You haven't, have you?"

Riku shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Nope. I think he's just really, really good at guessing. Either that, or he overheard our conversation, somehow."

"He's probably got the whole place bugged and covered in tiny cameras so he can keep track of our every move!"

A loud crash from the closet caused Riku and Sora to jump and then rush over to see what happened. Desperately trying to bite back his laughter when he saw the scene before him, Sora giggled, "Um, Roxas? Is it normal to be wearing pants on your head and a jacket on your feet?"

The younger boy was blushing madly as he scrambled to right himself. "You scared me with all that talk of Axel spying on us, okay? The last thing I want is for him to see me naked."

"That's not what you said last night!" a voice called from outside in the hallway.

Sora and Riku burst out laughing as a mortified Roxas stared in the direction of the doorway.

~::~

Thirty minutes and a few heaping plates of waffles later saw the four boys being herded into the car by Lexaeus, who had to assuage Axel's ire at being called a housewife by Riku. Sora and Roxas both rolled their eyes, trying their best not to get involved lest their day take a turn for the worst.

The ride to the studio took a little less than half an hour through scenic neighborhoods full of expensive houses and near-perfectly groomed gardens that made Roxas almost a little uncomfortable. He tried not to stare out the window too much, but neither did he particularly want to look _inside_ the car, because he was about ninety-eight percent sure that Axel was staring at him.

"Roxas, why are you scowling at the seat?" Sora asked when he glanced over and saw the look of distaste on his brother's face. "What did the upholstery ever do to you?"

"It's not interesting enough to keep me occupied," the blonde replied with a faint smirk.

"Someone's got an attitude," Roxas looked up at Axel to find him grinning widely. "Come one, we're nearly there. You'd better put on a good show for the rest of the cast and crew, or they'll all hate you."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Roxas muttered as the car rolled to a stop outside a large, rather plain building surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges and fronted by a sign that read "Kingdom Pictures, Inc."

"I'm so excited to see everyone again!" Sora said as he all but pranced out of the car, pulling Riku with him. "Did Zexion keep his hair the way it was last year? Are Larxene and Marluxia _finally_ going to get hitched? Is Vexen still a total snob?"

Roxas stared at his brother in utter confusion as he followed them out of their vehicle. Despite his qualms with talking to Axel, he turned to the redhead and asked, "Who are all those people he mentioned?"

"Some of the cast and crew," he replied, nodding towards the building. "Now, come on. The Boss-man - our nickname for Saix, but don't call him that if you value your job and life - hates nothing more than unpunctuality."

The blonde boy followed the rest of the group quietly, stifling a gasp of surprise when he saw the inside of the building. Instead of some sort of office building, like he'd been expecting, the interior of the structure was one sprawling area packed full of film-related items, aside from a few smaller areas off to the sides the were separate from the main room. People were bustling about everywhere, organizing things, shouting instructions, and generally causing a huge amount of noise. All activity ceased the moment they saw Roxas.

Ventus suddenly came running up out of nowhere and tackled his doppelganger. "Hiya!"

With this demonstration that Roxas was, in fact, not actually Ventus, the rest of the people came crowding in around the two boys.

"Holy gods, they look like identical twins!" one man with a mullet-like hairstyle gasped.

"They're adorable!" two more chorused, one a man with rose-pink hair, the other a blonde woman with two antennae-like pieces of hair arcing over her head.

"Well, would you look at that," said yet another man, this time wearing an eye patch and sporting a large scar down one side of his face. "The little dude looks like he's a clone."

"Whoa, whoa, guys! Back off!" Riku elbowed his way through the throng to the two blonde boys. "You're gonna scare him off. Everyone, this is Roxas, Sora's younger brother. In case you haven't figured it out already, he's Ven's stunt double."

The mulleted man began yelling in the direction of one of the closed-off areas nearby. "Zexion! Get out here, you've got to see this!"

"What?" an irate voice replied, accompanied by a head covered in steel-blue hair poking out of the doorway. "I'm _trying_ to work here, Demyx."

"Ventus has a twin!" Demyx replied, pointing to Roxas.

Zexion's eyebrows shot up and he hurried over to get a closer look. "Good Lord, you're right. So you're the famous Roxas, then. Sora's told us all about you."

"I feel like a zoo exhibit," Roxas muttered to his brother under his breath. He then raised his tone and spoke to the crowd of stunned onlookers. "Um… Hi."

"Hi to you, too," a blonde woman replied with a dazzling smile. "So, what do you think of California so far? Axel and Riku haven't been giving you any trouble, have they?"

Roxas and Sora exchanged a glance and a smirk before he replied, "Not really. I like what little I've seen, I guess. It's just… different."

"Sounds like we need to give him the grand tour, sis," a redheaded girl suggested as she slung her arm over the blonde girl's shoulders.

"Well, before you abduct me, can you tell me your names?" Roxas asked sheepishly.

"She's Namine," the redhead said. Her sister then finished, "And that's Kairi." The two then chorused together, "We're twins, just so you know."

"Axel, get your ass over-… Well, hello. You never told me Venny had a twin," Everyone turned to see a redheaded man standing nearby, a man who looked suspiciously like Axel.

"Ah, seems I neglected to mention both of you to each other, Roxie. This is Reno, _my_ stunt double," Axel explained to the stunned blonde boy. "And before you ask, we happen to _not_ be twins."

Reno walked over and extended a hand to the astonished Roxas. "Nice to meet you, kid. Glad to know Axel hasn't been blackening my name in your presence yet."

"Yet?" gulped Roxas as he cautiously took the hand Reno offered.

The redhead laughed and gave his hand a firm shake before letting go and walking over to Axel. "Well, seems like today is twins day. Where's Kadaj? Get him and Riku together, and we can all say we've officially been mindfucked."

"Launguage, Reno," Riku hissed, looking very worried for some reason. "And don't mention him. You know he always manages to find whoever mentioned him."

"Did someone call me?" a new voice called.

"Shit!" Riku took off just in the nick of time. Another silver-haired man materialized out of seemingly nowhere and attempted to tackle him.

"Riku, darling, where are you going? You won't even give a friendly hello to your partner in movie-making? Oh, how _rude_ of you!" the other silverette chided as he ran after Riku, leaving everyone else staring after them.

"Well, that was strange," Roxas murmured, breaking the silence that followed.

"Oh, things like that are completely normal around here. Wait until you see all of us on the job," Axel replied with a knowing smirk. "Just you wait."

"Roxas, I'm glad to see you made it here in one piece. There's no telling what might happen when you're stuck in a confined space with Mr. Sinclair and Mr. Bianchi," The whole group of cast and crew member scattered as they realized Saix was standing in the midst of them, his face devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

"Who?"

"Me and Silver over there, blondie," Axel replied before Saix could explain. "My last name's Sinclair, and his is Bianchi. Got it memorized?"

"Yeah, I got it," Roxas rolled his eyes. "So, um, Mr.…?"

"Clairey," Saix informed him.

"Right, okay. So, Mr. Clairey, what do I need to do first? I'm kind of new to this whole thing…" Roxas scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I suggest introducing yourself to the others who will be working with you. Once you've met everyone, someone can show you to my office so I can talk with you." Without another word, the imposing blue-haired man disappeared behind a stack of crates, leaving Axel, Riku, Sora, and Roxas standing there, mildly surprised.

"Is he gone?" a timid voice called.

"You can come out, guys, he's not gonna murder you today," Axel sighed. The cast and crew crept out of their hiding places slowly, as if fearing Saix might come back at any moment to scold them, or worse.

"That man has to be the scariest person I've ever met," the speaker said, sticking his head up from his hiding place behind a rack of clothes to reveal that it was Demyx. "Seriously."

"Demyx, you're scared of _everyone_," Axel joked. "You run from your own shadow!"

"You go watch that Doctor Who episode with the Vashta Nerada and see how you feel about shadows afterwards!" the mulleted man exclaimed. "It was so creepy, man!"

"Dem, did you know if you say 'giraffe' really slowly, it sounds like gullbile?" the man with the eye patch said, exchanging a glance and a smirk with Axel.

"Giiirrraaaafffe," Demyx's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait a second, no it doesn't."

"Stop making fun of him, Xigbar," The scarred man turned and stared down his nose at Zexion, who was standing there with one hand on his hip and a huge book in the other. "I mean it."

"Oh, and what're _you_ gonna do about it, little dude?" Xigbar replied haughtily, smirking down at him. "You couldn't hurt a fly if you tried to hit it with a sledgehammer… That is, if you could lift the _sledgehammer_."

Zexion suddenly lunged forwards and smacked Xigbar across the face with his book, causing a resounding _thwack_. Xigbar teetered on his feet for a moment before crumpling to the ground. Demyx rushed forwards and hugged the smaller man tightly, lifting him off the ground.

"My hero!" he crooned, ignoring the protests from the steely-haired man.

"Demyx, put me down! I've got work to do!" Zexion cried, trying to wiggle out of the other man's arms. "Can you please do this when I'm _not_ on the clock?"

"Oh. Sorry, Zexy," Demyx calmed down instantly, setting Zexion on the floor gently. "You can go work now, but I get hugs later."

Roxas's face was the epitome of confusion at this point.

"Bro, you look so confused your _confusion_ looks confused," Sora said with a giggle. "I didn't know that was possible!"

Axel chuckled and gestured to the rest of the people who were coming out of hiding. "All right, time for introductions. Roxas, as you probably could tell, those two were Demyx and Zexion. They happen to be a couple. The guy Zexion knocked out is Xigbar, who's a first-class douchebag, but he has his okay moments. Those twin girls from earlier were Kairi and Namine. The guy who ran Riku off was his stunt double, Kadaj, who's borderline psychotic. Now, let's see… Geez, there are a lot of people working here."

The man with pink hair and the woman with the two antennae-like pieces of hair approached them. "I'm Marluxia," said the man, and then gestured to the woman, "and this is Larxene. We're married, and we're the make-up and costume artists, respectively."

"It's nice to meet you," Roxas said, shaking both of their hands. "You two seem to be the most normal people here so far."

The two exchanged a glance and then burst out laughing before walking away and leaving Roxas even more confused than before.

"Do… I want to know?" the blonde blinked, staring after them.

"Um… No. Not yet, at least," Axel said cryptically. He then seemed to spot something and called, "Hey, Luxord! Go and bring your bunch out, the new kid's here."

A tall man with a goatee and multiple piercings waved and disappeared into a doorway, reappearing a few moments later with several people following behind him. They walked over to where Roxas, Axel, Ventus, and Sora were standing and gazed at the two blondes.

"Bloody hell, which one's which?" Luxord said with a distinct British accent. "Don't tell me Vexen found a way to clone people."

"I did _not_," said another blonde man behind him. Roxas assumed this was Vexen. "I assure you, this was not my doing. It _is_ rather intriguing, however…"

"Get the stick out of your ass, old man!" a new voice taunted from somewhere above their heads. Roxas looked up to see a tiny, lithe girl with short black hair hanging from the side of a walkway pulling faces at Vexen.

"Yuffie? Where did you go? If you're up to your tricks again, I'll get Mr. Clairey to fire you!" Another girl who looked almost identical to the girl above them, give or take a couple of inches of height, came running up.

The girl on the walkway sighed. "Oh, fine, be down in a second." Without warning, she let go of the iron bar she was holding onto and plummeted through the air. Roxas tried to run to catch her, but Axel grabbed him, making him watch as the girl did a series of graceful flips and landed square on her feet, just like a cat might. "Sorry, Xion. I just got really bored…"

"Those are Xion, the shorter one, and Yuffie, the self-proclaimed 'great ninja.' They're Ven's costar and her stunt double, respectively," Axel explained to Roxas, letting him go as he did so. "Yuffie has a thing for shiny, valuable objects. Don't carry them with you when she's around, or she'll steal hem and pawn them off somewhere."

"Axel, I thought you said the new kid was here," One of the group that had followed Luxord, a man with shaggy brown hair and a scar across his face, stepped forwards and began inspecting Roxas. "We've all seen Ventus before. What are you trying to pull?"

"Um, I'm not Ventus," Roxas said. "He's standing behind Axel." Upon hearing his name mentioned, the other blonde stepped into the man's line of vision.

"Well, I'll be damned. You sure you don't have a long-lost twin, Ven? Cause if you do, this guy's him."

"No, Leon, I'm positive," Ventus rolled his eyes. "He's not a clone, I don't have any siblings, and before you ask, _no_, he is not some creepy stalker who got plastic surgery to look like me. Mr. Clairey would know better than to hire someone like that. You know he does full background checks on everyone he hires. Their family, too."

Roxas's eyes widened. "He does?"

"Yeah," Ventus said matter-of-factly. "It's kind of required. Didn't you know that?"

"Well, I knew he'd check me, but my family, too? That's a little extreme."

"Not when the people you're asking to work with are worth millions of dollars apiece," Axel slung an arm around his shoulders. "So no abusing us, blondie. We're fragile."

"Well then, what do you suggest I do to stay out of trouble, oh great and wise Axel?" Roxas rolled his eyes and tried to escape, but Axel held him there.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do, my friend. I can't give you any better advice then that."

"Oh, but _I_ can give you better advice," Riku suddenly materialized next to Sora, who squeaked in surprise. "Don't listen to a word Axel says. It'll only ever get you in trouble."

"Can we please not start a fight now?" Roxas pleaded, sighing. "I really don't want to get off to a bad start on my first day. Can you wait until we get home and _then_ start beating the shit out of each other?"

Riku and Axel exchanged a glance and nodded, saying in unison, "Fair enough."

"Roxas," The blonde boy flinched when he recognized the voice as Saix's. "Come with me to my office, please. I'd like to speak with you before you get too absorbed into learning the way things work around here."

Roxas glanced nervously at the others, who all motioned for him to go, and be quick about it. Gulping, the blonde boy turned around and walked towards Saix's office, almost imagining the cloud of imminent danger looming over his head.

~::~

**Author's Note: **Poor Roxas... Is Saix going to kill him already? You'll just have to wait and see! Reviews make me a happy pufferfish. :D


	7. Don't Judge

**Author's Note:** Hiya! I've finally found time to update again. I just got back to school from a break and I've been sick, so things have been crazy lately. I hope all of my American readers had an awesome Thanksgiving - I know I did. :D Not much else to say right now, other than I hope you're enjoying the story so far.

Chapter Seven: Don't judge a book by its cover.

~::~

The first thing Roxas noticed as he entered Saix's office was that there was an astounding lack of clutter in it. Every paper and pen had a place, every sticky note, every file, had somewhere that it belonged and most likely stayed until it was needed, and then carefully replaced when it was no longer being utilized. As Roxas was gazing around the room in awe, Saix walked behind the mahogany desk and sat down in the leather chair there, sighing in what seemed like content.

After a moment he noticed Roxas, who was now looking around uneasily, and said, "My dear boy, please, sit down. I promise I'm not going to bite."

_Dear__boy__…__?_ "Um… Okay," The blonde boy walked over and sat down in the chair opposite the blue-haired man. "So what did you need to talk to me about? I'm not in trouble already, am I?"

Saix laughed, a sound that was much richer and less harsh than Roxas had imagined. "Oh, heavens no. Nothing of the sort. I just wanted to get you acquainted with a few rules we have here at Kingdom."

Roxas sighed in relief. "Okay, that's good. I was terrified for a moment there. And if you don't mind me asking, why don't you act like this around the others? You're… nicer, no offense meant, of course."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, smart as Sora says you are," Saix neatly sidestepped the question. He then turned his head towards a door on his left and said, "Xemnas, darling, our new little stunt double is here. Why don't you come and meet him?"

A deeply tanned man with long silver hair stuck his head into the room. "Oh, is he? I thought he wasn't coming until tomorrow."

"I could've sworn I told you we changed the schedule… Ah well, it makes no difference now," The tanned man came into the room as Saix spoke and came to stand beside him. "Roxas, this is Xemnas, _my_ boss. He's the director, while I'm… what did we call it again?"

Xemnas chuckled. "The lap-dog, I believe. Or guard dog. I can never remember."

"Was it? I thought it was something different…" Saix's brows furrowed.

The other man shook his head. "No, I'm almost certain that was it…"

Throughout this exchange, Roxas was sitting there in complete and utter confusion. Only when Xemnas leaned down and kissed the other man on the lips did he realize what was going on. "Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second!" he exclaimed as Xemnas pulled away and walked back into the other room. "Tell me I imagined that."

"Imagined what?" Saix asked innocently.

"That… You just… Agh, I think you broke my brain!" Roxas whined.

Saix looked like he was trying desperately not to laugh. "I apologize. Now, time to get down to business. Honestly, this place isn't ridiculously strict, but I would like to inform you that first and foremost, all relationships between actors, crew members, and etcetera must be kept to mere friendships for the duration of the movie's development."

"…is that usually a problem?"

"You'd be surprised how often prolonged contact with each other leads those working on productions together to something more than friendship. However, it not only causes unwanted distractions, but break-ups can and will destroy a film if allowed to occur," Saix looked so serious throughout this, Roxas couldn't bring himself to laugh at the absurdity of this. "Anyways… other than that, just make sure you're not drinking or using illegal substances, keeping on the good side of the law, and just generally practicing good moral conduct. Do that, and I'll have no reason to get angry at you. And trust me when I say that is a _very_ good thing. Xigbar can attest to that."

"Wait, did you give him the scar and eye patch?" Roxas's jaw hit the floor.

"Me? Oh, no, that was Terra, one of our set builders. There was an accident with some equipment…" Seeing the horrified look on the blonde's face, Saix cleared his throat. "Well, I really have nothing else to say to you. You may go now."

Roxas stood and made it halfway to the door before he turned around and asked, "Did you really do background checks on me and my family?"

"No, of course not," Saix waved a hand dismissively. "I checked you, your family, _and_ your friends."

Unsure whether he was joking or not, the blonde made a speedy exit, and ended up running smack dab into someone's chest. "Whoa, Roxie, watch out! Don't damage the goods."

The blonde boy shrank away from Axel and then ducked under his arm to run behind Ventus, who was following the redhead. "Save me!"

"Are you seriously still that scared of me?" Axel scratched the back of his head. "Geez, half of the time I was kidding."

"What about the other half?" Roxas squeaked. "Besides, Saix just told me-"

"Yeah, no relationships outside of friendship, I'm acutely aware of that fact," Axel snapped, his tone laced with a touch of bitterness. "Look, kid, cool it, okay? Despite popular belief, I'm not the kind of guy who'd do anything to have his way with someone. I believe I told you before, but I have _standards_." With that, the irate crimson-haired man turned on his heel and stalked away, hands jammed in the pockets of his jeans.

Roxas stared after in dismay. "What did I say? He was being a dick! Why is he angry at me?"

Ventus shook his head and grabbed Roxas's arm, dragging him off in the opposite direction from Axel. "He's… complicated. I've known him for almost a third of my life and I _still_ don't understand him at all."

"…and how long is a third of your life?"

Ventus thought for a moment, still pulling the other blonde along with him. "A little over six years, I think. Something like that."

"Man, I'm so screwed, then," Roxas muttered, earning a chuckle from the other boy. "Now, where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

~::~

"…you guys threw a party for me. You're kidding, right?"

The room the two boys ended up in was packed with what seemed like the entirety of the staff at Kingdom Pictures along with a couple of tables covered in food. This confused Roxas to no end because none of them really even knew him yet.

"Roxie, you look awfully confused," Axel materialized next to him and offered him a Styrofoam cup with what looked like blue Kool-Aid in it. "Care to tell me why?"

Roxas was very close to telling him to piss off, but when he saw a group of people coming towards them, he opted for the politest answer he could think of. "I don't get why you're all doing this for me. I mean… I'm just a stunt double."

"Just a stunt double? Roxas, I'm amazed that you don't realize how key your job here is going to be," The group Roxas had noticed stopped in front of them. It consisted of Marluxia, Larxene, Demyx, and Zexion, the latter of which had spoken.

"Are stunt doubles that important?" Roxas raised an eyebrow.

"Well, considering how much of the work they may do in an action movie, doubles can be extremely important. It just depends on the type of film they're involved in," Zexion replied very matter-of-factly. "Now, I think you should stop worrying about work for now and go enjoy some of that cake over there. I baked it myself."

Axel looked like he was trying hard not to burst out laughing as Zexion and Demyx walked away, heading towards another group of people.

"Don't laugh at Zexion, Axel," Marluxia said, staring down his nose at the other man. "You know you're just jealous of his cooking prowess. You burn salad."

"I can burn anything, including your garden, flower boy. Don't forget that," Axel retorted, tone dripping with venom. "Come on, Roxie, let's go get something to eat." The taller man grabbed him by the arm and pulled him in the direction of the food.

As he was being dragged, Roxas asked, "What was that about? You two don't seem to like each other much."

"Oh, we like each other fine most days," Axel replied. "Just not today. He and Larxene have been having… _issues_ lately, and he tends to get extremely bitchy when she's in one of her moods."

"Issues?"

"You don't wanna know. That's all I'm gonna say, kid."

"Don't call me 'kid!'"

"Shut up, lovebirds, we're trying to eat over here!" Axel stopped in his tracks, causing Roxas to collide with him. The redhead glared at the speaker, the man with the eye patch from before. "Seriously, go get a room."

"Xigbar, if you value your live, you'll take that back _right__now_," Axel's tone was frighteningly quiet and laced with venom.

"You think you can hurt me, Little Red?" Xigbar sneered over the table at him. "As if! I'd snap you like a twig if you tried to pick a fight."

Axel's face was a cold mask of fury. "Don't you _dare_ call me that, One-Eye."

"Guys, guys, guys! Come on, don't scare off the new guy on his first day!" Demyx's nervous laughter cut through the tense silence that followed. "Save the fighting for later, if you really have to duke it out."

All the fight suddenly went out of the redhead, and his posture slumped. Xigbar gave him one last condescending sneer and then walked away haughtily, chin jutting out in self-righteous anger. Axel sighed and turned to the food-covered table in front of his, glaring down into a bowl of punch as if he was trying to set it on fire with his eyes.

"Um, Axel?" Roxas flinched as he whipped around to face him. "What was that about, if you don't mind me asking?"

With a sigh, the taller replied, "Xigbar… He's just like that. Always looking for a good fight, and he tends to pick on me. Something about redheads having awful tempers. Just ignore him."

"But you didn't ignore him," Roxas regretted saying this the moment he saw the dangerous glint in Axel's eyes.

"Axel! Yuffie stole my wallet again!" A shrill voice forestalled any reply. Xion came running up, her expression the epitome of annoyance.

"Oh, Jesus," Axel slapped his forehead with his palm before turning to the short, black-haired girl. "Where did you last see her, Xi?"

"Over there!" She pointed towards a set of double doors that looked like they led outside. Axel sighed and walked briskly in the direction Xion had pointed, leaving Roxas alone with her. The raven-haired girl turned to his and smiled. "Hi. I'm Xion."

"Roxas," he replied. "Is Yuffie the girl that was on the ceiling earlier?"

Xion pulled a face and nodded. "Yeah. She's like a monkey; really good at climbing things and a kleptomaniac. It's not a good combination."

"Axel, come on! I stole that fair and square. I'll never learn how to be a ninja if I'm not good at sneaking around and stealing things!" Yuffie's whine could be heard from across the room as she entered, following Axel as he strode back towards Roxas and Xion, a pink, sequined wallet in hand. The short girl kept trying to jump in front of him and take it back, but every time she did this, the taller merely held up his arm and her attempt was thwarted.

"Here, Xion," Axel handed her the small object as he stopped next to them. "Put it somewhere safe. And if Yuffie steals it again, don't be afraid to find her and smack her. Seriously."

Yuffie puffed up in righteous anger. "Hey! It's only training! I give all the stuff I steal back eventually, anyways!"

As Xion rolled her eyes, Axel replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Keyword here: eventually. That could be months from now, Materia. Just lay off of Xi for now. Go steal something from Leon or Vexen. That's always funny."

Yuffie's expression brightened considerably. "Okay. See you later!"

Xion turned to Axel after her stunt double disappeared into the crowd. "You're condoning theft? That doesn't seem like you at all."

"Aw, let the girl have her fun. Just be glad she's not taking your stuff this time," Axel grabbed Roxas and pulled him away again, leaving Xion to ponder this.

"Why do you keep pulling me around everywhere?" The shorter boy swatted at Axel's hand. "I'm getting tired of this."

"Well, there are a couple of reasons," Axel explained, glancing around nervously. "The first of which was Yuffie, but she's not a problem anymore."

"And the second?"

An unfamiliar voice exclaimed angrily, "_Axel!_"

"Oh shiitake mushrooms," Axel hissed under his breath. "Run!" Without any further argument, Roxas bolted after the redhead, though he was unsure what was going on. The two of them ducked and weaved their way through the crowd, but even when they were out of the room entirely, Axel kept going after a swift glance over his shoulder. He suddenly pulled Roxas sideways behind a sheet of plywood and held him against the wall, one hand over his mouth, the other on the wall behind him. "Don't move, don't make a sound, don't even _breath_."

"Axel?" Out of the corner of his eye, Roxas saw someone pause outside the doorway to the room they had just left. "I know you're here somewhere." The mystery person was dressed in a pair of strange, baggy beige pants and a tight-fitting brown tank top. His dark brown hair was slicked back on the top and then spiked out in a little crest. "Come out, you coward. You can't avoid me forever. And if you've got Roxas with you, Riku said he's going to skin you alive."

Roxas tried very hard not to gasp in terror as Axel pressed him closer to the wall, hand still over his mouth, but not blocking the overwhelming scent of vanilla that clung to the taller man's clothing and skin. Then, a hair stuck on the fabric tickled Roxas's nose. He wiggled his nose to try and dislodge it, but only succeeded in driving it into his nasal passage.

Axel realized what was happening as Roxas jerked his head back, but before he could do anything, Roxas pulled off his hand and sneezed. The redhead shoved him in between two boxes nearby and threw a tarp over him before the brown-haired man ducked under the plywood and confronted Axel. The blonde peeked out from a gap between the wood and the plastic so he could watch the events that were sure to unfold.

"There you are! Why the hell are you hiding under here? It's not stable!" the other man snapped. "This is part of my set supplies! If you broke anything…"

"Jess, Terra, cool it. I didn't do anything to your precious supplies," Axel rolled his eyes. "What do you want? I've got things to do."

"You owe me a hundred bucks," Terra replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Remember our little bet? You lost it."

"Oh, I did, did I?" Axel's eyebrows arched. "If I remember correctly, the time we set for it isn't up just yet. I've still got a whole week. Go ask Reno - he'll agree with me."

"Bullshit. He'll only agree because he'll lose his job if he doesn't. Pay up, or else."

"Or else what? You forget which one of us is the multi-millionaire here."

Terra's serious expression morphed into a sly smile. "Or else I'll tell Saix about your little escapades with the aforementioned stunt double, Xion, and Ven…"

Axel's condescending smirk faded into something akin to horror. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would," Terra grinned wickedly. "Now, about that money…"

"Axel! Roxas! Where the _hell_ are you?" Riku's voice forestalled any further conversation. Roxas, taking this moment of distraction, slipped out from under the tarp and crawled out the other side of the plywood tent. "Terra, thank God, you found them-… Where's Roxas?"

"I'm right here. Have you been looking for me?" Roxas walked around the other side casually, hands in his pockets. "I just went to the bathroom. Did something happen?"

Riku breathed and audible sigh of relief. "Oh, uh… No. Not really. Your brother was just wondering where you disappeared to. You know how he gets."

"Yeah," Roxas replied, coming to a stop when he reached the small group. "He's such a worrywart. Are we gonna go back to the party, then?"

Axel shot a sideways glare at Riku as the silverette grabbed Roxas and all but dragged him back towards the room they had been in previously. Roxas was able to steal one last glance over his shoulder at Axel and Terra before the door closed behind him.

Riku let him go as soon as they were inside. Roxas rubbed his wrist, wincing in pain. "Stay away from Axel, okay?" Sora's boyfriend suggested in a tone that was more commanding than anything else.

"If you'd give me a legitimate reason to stay away from him, then maybe I would!" Roxas retorted, starting to get sick of all the secrecy.

Sora, with impeccable timing, as always, materialized next to his brother and gave him a huge hug. "Roxas! I thought you ran away or something."

"Nah. Bathroom break. Sorry, bro," the blonde replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I didn't mean to scare you so much that you'd send Riku to find me. I'll tell you next time I run off somewhere."

"It's okay," Sora said cheerfully. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't get lost. This place is pretty big and you don't know your way around, so… You know. A little help might have been necessary."

"Hey, I'm not _that_ bad with directions!" The two of them laughed, but Sora's faded into silence when he saw the expression on Riku's face.

"Riku?" His voice was gentle. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah. Hey, why don't you go and get some of the cake Namine baked before it's all gone? I'll catch up in a second," As Sora ran off with a nod and a grin, Roxas turned to follow him, but Riku grabbed his arm yet again and pulled his ear close to his mouth. "Roxas, I'm not sure why you're so reluctant to trust someone who's known Axel for the better part of his life, but really… He's not the kind of person you want to go messing around with."

"Then what do you suggest I do if I can't avoid him forever?" Roxas retorted. "When he's not being a pervert, he seems perfectly fine to be around."

"Don't judge a book by its cover," Riku replied, letting go of his arm and brushing past him in one movement. "Seriously. That guy is bad news."

~::~

**Author's Note: ***dramatic pause* **_Dun dun dun..._** No, not really. At least, not yet. :D Well, I just went through my plot outline, and it looks like we're in for a long story here. Like, really long, by my standards. Hopefully everyone will keep on reading/reviewing/favoriting until the very end! Adios for now, amigos!


	8. Practice

**Author's Note:** Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I took so long to update! School was hectic the last couple of weeks, with exams and then break coming up. But I'm back to working on Picture Perfect, and things are about to start heating up in the coming chapters. I'll do my best to keep a backlog of chapters in case I get eaten alive by something again. Anyways, thanks for waiting so patiently! Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Eight: Practice makes perfect.

~::~

The rest of the day, Riku's ominous warning reverberated though Roxas's mind, driving him to distraction on more than one occasion as members of the staff at Kingdom Pictures tried to explain the inner workings of the movie-making business to him. They whole group eventually got so fed up with this that they unanimously decided to send Roxas and his housemates home so they could start fresh the next day.

"You totally just got dissed, bro," Sora informed him as they walked out to their car with Lexaeus, who materialized from thin air after having been gone for most of the day. "Even _I_ didn't get sent home my first day, and I'm not even working here."

"Gee, thanks, Sora. Love you too," Roxas replied tiredly, rubbing his temples.

"I wasn't making fun of you, I was just being honest. Don't get mad at me!" Sora pouted.

Axel and Riku were quiet the whole way back to the house. There seemed to be some sort of unspoken agreement between the two of them that neither one should say a word, for whatever reason. Even as they went inside and raided the pantry, neither said a word. Sora and Roxas chatted away, but both kept glancing at the other two, unsure what was going on.

After their appetites had been satiated, the boys retreated to their rooms. Before he could escape, however, Sora grabbed Riku and pulled him into his room to play with the kittens. Roxas crept over to his brother's door and pressed an ear to the wood.

"…won't you lay off him?" Sora was saying. "You keep treating him like he's some… I dunno, some sort of villain. He's no worse than the rest of us, Riku. Please. I know you don't want Roxas to have to go through what Ventus and Xion did, but think about it. Axel's banned from ever going near anything that might cause it ever again. The chances of history repeating itself in this case are one in a million."

Roxas recoiled. What had Axel done that was so terrible? More curious than ever, he replaced his ear on the door.

"Sora, I…" Riku was speaking now, his tone one of extreme exasperation. "Don't try to tell me I'm worrying without a good reason. I just want him to have a good time while he's here. And who knows, maybe he'll stick around after as Ven's permanent stunt double if all goes well. But if anything does happen… You know him better than I do. Would he run away?"

There was silence for a few moments. Then, a hesitant reply from Sora. "He would."

"See? I just want to prevent that. Now, can we please not talk about this anymore? It's been a long day," Riku replied wit a hint of smugness.

"Fine."

"Hey, Roxie. Eavesdropping on your brother and his boyfriend, are we?" Roxas whipped around to see Axel standing behind him, hands jammed in his pockets.

"What? I'm not-"

Axel quickly placed a finger on his lips. "Hush. They'll hear you. I suggest you just go back to your room before they find you out here. I'm sure they wouldn't be happy to know you were listening in to their little conversation."

Roxas flinched away from his touch and scrambled for the safety of his room, startled by how casually the redhead had laid a hand on him. They'd barely known each other for a few days, and he was acting like they were far better acquainted than that. It was… honestly, it was a little more than slightly creepy.

The blonde boy checked his closet for any possible hidden cameras before changing into a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt, intending to go to sleep soon. However, Sora seemed to have other plans for him. The brunette barged into his room right as he pulled on his shirt and grabbed him, dragging Roxas to his room and shutting the door behind them.

"What did I do?" Roxas squeaked in terror. "I swear to God, whatever happened, it wasn't me!"

"You didn't do anything. We just wanted to talk to you. Promise," Sora said. The brunette made him sit down next to Riku, whom he then sat on the other side of. "Okay. Were you listening outside the door earlier?"

Roxas's stomach clenched in fear. "Um… I… Well, yeah. But just for a few seconds! I was walking past and happened to overhear-"

"Cool it. We're not mad at you. We were planning on coming to get you soon anyways," Riku interjected before the other boy got too worked up. "This is about Axel. We - well, mostly your brother, I still have issues with telling you - wanted to give you a brief summary of his life story so you know why we're so hesitant about you getting close to him."

Roxas raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. The other two took this as a signal that he was listening and began their story.

"Well, even I don't know the full story, so I can't give you details, but Axel… he didn't exactly have a fairytale childhood. He was orphaned at an early age, grew up in the system, and never really had a whole lot to call his own. At some point or another, every family he lived with had to send him back to the orphanage again until he finally found one family that kept him. And, of course, with his luck, their house burned down and they couldn't keep him anymore. Then, he met Saix, and everything changed. Saix was looking for new, young talent, and Axel had it, so he signed a contract, and that's how he got here today."

"Well, other than the awful childhood, he sounds like he's had a relatively normal run through life so far," Roxas interjected as Riku paused. "What's so bad about him now?"

"Well, about six years ago, when Ventus and Xion first came on board, there was an incident involving Axel and alcohol… It must be a hereditary thing, but he's very susceptible to the effects of said substance," Riku continued. "He got very, very drunk, and… Ventus and Xion got in his way and suffered the consequences."

Roxas's eyes went wide. "He… No. There's no way."

Sora's expression was one of utmost seriousness, one that he only bore when something very dire was being discussed. "Roxas… Riku's telling the truth. None of them remember, although Axel knows something happened; Ventus and Xion's memories were suppressed because of the trauma. We just want you to know so you can prevent it from happening to you. Axel's banned from even being in the same room as alcoholic beverages, but that doesn't mean he can't get them if he's not being watched."

"Guys, you're really scaring me. Stop it," Roxas squirmed in discomfort. "I barely know the guy, and this is gonna ruin any inklings of amity that might have been forming."

"Not our fault he did it," Riku stretched backwards, lying down on the floor with his hands behind his head. Instantly, the kittens emerged from their bed and scrambled over to play on him. "We're just warning you, like Sora said."

Roxas gritted his teeth. "Well… Maybe I didn't want to be warned!"

"Yes you did. You said so yourself. Something about wanting to know what his story was," Riku retorted.

"No I didn't-…" The blonde boy paused. "Oh yeah, I did. Shit."

"Like I said, you didn't want to know. Now you do, and you'll have to deal with the consequences. Axel's not the prettyboy everyone makes him out to be."

"You called?" The three of them looked up, startled, to see Axel leaning against the doorframe.

"Shit, we need a more private room," Riku muttered. He then raised his tone so Axel could hear. "Nobody called you."

The redhead sauntered into the room and sat down across from the others. "Mind if I join your little pow-wow, then? I'm sure I won't be a bother."

"You're bothering me already," Riku hissed under his breath, suddenly very annoyed that he was covered in kittens and couldn't attack the redhead. Axel chose to ignore this. "Did you need something?"

Axel smirked at him. "I got lonely. That's not a crime now, is it?"

"Guys, will you fucking _grow__up_?" Everyone turned to look at Sora, shocked. He seldom raised his voice and cussed at the same time. "Really, I'm so sick of this, and it's only been a couple of days!"

"Sora, we're not trying-…" Riku began, stretching out a hand to his boyfriend.

"No, you're _not_ trying to do anything except annoy the shit out of each other!" Sora exclaimed, smacking his hand away. The room fell silent for a few moments before the brunette's eyes widened and he covered his face with his hands. "I'm so sorry. Don't listen to me. I didn't eman any of that. It's been a long week for me."

"Axel, Roxas… I think it's time for Sora to go to sleep. We'll see you in the morning, okay?"

As Sora slouched over to Riku and wrapped himself in the other boy's arms, Axel and Roxas took their leave, feeling extremely awkward to have witnessed such an intimate moment between the other two.

"Hey, Roxie, what's up with your brother?" Axel asked as they headed downstairs to give the other two some space.

Roxas scowled at the use of this apparently now-permanent nickname, but kept his tone civil. "I… I'm not sure. He's never done this around me before. Maybe he's just really stressed out over something."

"Stressed enough that someone as mild-mannered as he is would scream at one of his friends and his boyfriend?" Axel replied, shaking his head. "I doubt it. Something's going on."

"Yeah. You and Riku fighting. That's what," Roxas was almost as fed up with it as his brother was. "I mean, really… Why are you even fighting? I think it's stupid."

"It is stupid," Roxas looked up at Axel in surprise. "But that's why we're doing it. If we had a good reason, we wouldn't be talking to each other at all. That's when you know there's something seriously wrong."

"But then-…" Roxas stopped himself. "I don't get it!"

Axel shook his head and sighed in lieu of a real answer, leaving Roxas to ponder the strange relationship between him and Riku. The taller man wandered away into the kitchen and began rummaging through the pantry to find a snack. Roxas sat down on one of the plush couches in the living room and sank back into the pillows. He closed his eyes, intending to go to sleep right then and there, but a quiet voice interrupted his plans.

"Um, 'scuse me for a moment, sir. Would you mind getting up for just a bit so I can clean the sofa, please?" Roxas opened his eyes to see a pretty woman with sea-blue hair staring down at him, a handheld vacuum in one hand and a feather duster in the other.

"O-oh, yeah, I'm sorry," Roxas scrambled up to allow her access to the couch. "I didn't mean to get in your way."

"It's perfectly all right, sir," the woman replied. "I'll be done as quickly as possible and then you can go back to what you were doing."

"Aqua, I see you've met the new addition to our little family," Axel walked into the room, munching on a handful of crackers. "Roxas, this is Aqua, our resident maid, cook, and just about everything else. She's a doll."

Aqua finished vacuuming the sofa and walked past Axel, flicking him in the face with a dust rag that she pulled out of her pocket. "Oh, hush. You're a terrible flatterer, Mr. Sinclair. It's nice to meet you, Roxas. Please find me if you ever need anything. My room is down the hall from the kitchen. And Mr. Sinclair? No eating in the living room. How many times must I tell you?"

Axel glanced down at the crackers in his hand and shoved them all in his mouth, grinning around them as Aqua rolled her eyes and continued with her work. "Come on, Roxie, let's go back upstairs and let her work."

Roxas didn't bother arguing because he knew Axel would make him go anyways. The shorter boy followed him up the stairs and then through a hallway or two before he asked, "Axel, are we just going to wander aimlessly until we fall asleep in the middle of the hall?"

"Yes. Yes we are."

"Well, this is exciting. I think I'm going to die of amusement, this is so exciting," Roxas rolled his eyes and leaned against a door. With a yelp of surprise, he fell backwards through the doorway and landed on what appeared to be a pile of cloth-covered planks.

Axel immediately began panicking and grabbed Roxas, dragging him back out and shutting the door before the blonde could get more than a quick glance at the contents of the room. "Come on. Time for bed," Axel said brusquely.

"What's the big-… Hey! Let go!" Roxas struggled against the taller man, but despite his years of athletic training, Axel was still stronger. "Seriously, leggo!"

"Just… go to sleep. And don't go in that room again, got it memorized?" Axel shoved him towards his door and then stalked back to his own, shutting the door behind him with a loud bang. Roxas stared after him in confusion before sighing and going into his room to do as he was told.

~::~

Shouting was the first thing Roxas heard when he woke up the next morning. The combination of Riku's furious cursing and Axel's self-righteous admonitions was almost deafening. When Aqua's high-pitched yelping joined the mix, Roxas shoved a pillow over his head and rolled over.

"Roxas, got any spare room under there?" The blonde boy peeked out from under the fabric and nodded, wincing at the din from downstairs. Sora slid under the covers and joined his brother, grabbing another pillow to make a small tent around their heads. "They're being stupid again. I want them to stop."

"What happened this time?" Roxas inquired with a roll of his eyes.

"Apparently Axel overheard us talking about him last night, and so he went after Riku at breakfast a couple minutes ago, and now they're yelling at each other and Aqua's mad, which never happens, and I'm just so sick of them!" Sora's babbling ended in a piteous whine that made Roxas want to hug him and make all the bad things go away. "Why do they have to fight?"

The younger boy shook his head and shrugged. "I don't understand it. We never fought much when we were kids because you're a pacifist and I just don't like conflicts, so… Who knows. Maybe this is their way of getting pent up anger out without really hurting anyone."

"But it's hurting me," Sora pouted. "And they never fought this bad before you came."

"Well, maybe it's my fault," Roxas's tone was flat.

His older brother was silent for a few moments. "No, it's not you. I think everyone's just stressed because from what I've heard Riku say, this new movie… it's a big bid for the film company."

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "Because?"

"I dunno. All I know is that's what Riku said."

The conversation went into a lull as the two boys lay there in their little cocoon, trying to ignore the enraged shouting from below. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the noise subsided and the two deemed it safe to go downstairs.

To their surprise, they found Riku sprawled on the couch flipping through channels on the TV as Axel leaned against the base of the sofa next to him, shoving handfuls of popcorn into his mouth. Aqua was nowhere to be seen, which was even more surprising.

"Um… what the hell?" Roxas's expression was the epitome of confusion. "Weren't you two just screaming at each other a couple minutes ago?"

"Yes, we were," Axel replied. "But now, everything's cool. We just needed to vent a little steam."

Roxas gave his brother an "I-told-you-so" look that earned him an eye roll. "You're ridiculous," said the brunette. "You can't go a day without a fight, can you?"

"Look, if it bugs you that much, Sor, we can try and be better about it," Riku said, reaching out and taking his boyfriend's hand. "I'm sorry."

Sora looked like he had several unkind things he wanted to say, but he merely sighed and gave Riku a weak smile as he squeezed his hand. "Okay. Promise?"

"Promise."

"You two are so cute, I could just eat you up," This remark earned Axel a smack upside the face from Riku.

"Oh, shut up. You're just jealous," Riku fell silent when Sora shot him a warning glance. "Um… So… I think we get to see the script for the movie today."

Axel perked up at this. "The Boss-man's finally gonna let us see it? Man, it's about time. I thought we'd never get our hands on it. I hope this isn't another cheesy chick flick like last time. I was barfing rainbows for weeks afterwards."

"Barfing… rainbows?" Roxas shot him a confused glance.

"It was _that_ girly. Literally. Had it not been for Riku's timely intervention, I might not be standing here today."

Sora blinked. "But you're sitting down."

Every burst out laughing, evaporating whatever tension had been left in the room. Sora picked up Riku's legs and sat down underneath them. Roxas, after a moment of hesitation, sat next to Axel and stole some of his popcorn. The redhead's eyebrows inched up in surprise, but he said nothing.

"Don't look so stunned," Roxas said. "As long as you don't hit on me every five seconds, then you're okay."

"Well, I'm honored. And very surprised," Axel replied. "I guess I better start being good."

"Practice makes perfect," Riku smirked. "You've got a long way to go to be good, buddy."

"Oh, shut up!" Axel shoved him playfully and the four boys dissolved into laughter.

~::~

**Author's Note:** What's this? Axel and Roxas are getting along? Well, don't assume anything yet. Next chapter, shit hits the fan, dood. Prepare for trouble, and make it double while you're at it.


	9. Weakest Link

**Author's Note:** Hello once again! So, since I've been on break and in a writing mood, this chapter got done very quickly... Consider this my Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever you celebrate present to all of my darling readers out there. I really do appreciate each and every one of you guys. So, without further ado, cue the drama, and have a safe and happy holiday!

Chapter Nine: A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.

~::~

The days passed by quickly as Roxas became more accustomed to his new habitat. He started learning the ropes of the acting business, managed to make it to his first two weeks of college classes without being late once, and just tried not to worry about things in general. After Sora's admonitions, Axel and Riku had ceased fighting as frequently or vehemently, at least when they were within earshot of him. Roxas had even begun to form a tiny bond of friendship with the redhead when he discovered that they shared a strong love of video games.

The first morning of his third week in California, Roxas awoke to the smells of eggs, bacon, and waffles drifting up through the vents from the kitchen. He leapt out of bed and changed as quickly as he could, knowing that if he didn't get downstairs soon, there would be no breakfast left. He'd found this out a few days after his arrival when he slept in and got cold oatmeal as his reward.

"Good morning," Aqua smiled sweetly at him as he skidded across the floor to his seat, hiding her laughter with a short cough.

"Morning," Roxas replied.

The three other boys looked up from their meal and nodded in way of a greeting, mouths too full to allow any reply. Roxas rolled his eyes and thanked Aqua as she set a plate loaded with steaming food in front of him. Soon, he too was ensnared by her excellent cooking, and no further conversation was forthcoming until all of the boys had eaten their fill.

With a happy sigh, Axel reclined back in his chair and said, speaking for all of them, "There's no one in the whole world who can cook like you, Aqua."

"Oh, hush, you awful flatterer," The blue-haired girl blushed the slightest bit. "I'm no culinary expert, but I try my best."

"Aw, come on, you're way better than you give yourself credit for!" Sora chimed in. Riku and Roxas nodded in agreement.

"Oh, stop it! Go on and get ready to go, please. Mr. Clairey called to say that he wants you to get to the studio early today," Aqua turned her back on the group to hide her reddened cheeks. "Hurry up now. You know he hates it when people are late."

Chuckling quietly, Axel led the others out of the kitchen and upstairs to do as Aqua said. Sora pulled Riku up the stairs past him, leaving Roxas and Axel to walk at their own pace.

After a few moments of silence, Roxas glanced up at the taller man and asked, "Hey, I'm curious… Do you have a thing for Aqua, or do you really appreciate what she does that much?"

Axel's eyebrows inched skywards as Roxas spoke. "Well, considering she was one of the first friends I made around here and the fact that she's almost old enough to be my mother, if she'd had a kid young, I'd have to say the answer to that is a resounding no."

"Oh. It just seemed-…"

"Like I was flirting? I know. I'm a little too nice to girls sometimes. You've gotta tread carefully around females… You never know when they'll go bipolar on you," Axel grinned wistfully. "The last girl I dated sure as hell taught me that..."

Roxas desperately wanted to ask about this girl, but Axel was already walking down the hall towards his room. His plans thwarted, Roxas shook his head and went into his own room to gather his things. He grabbed his satchel - an item that Axel refused to believe was anything less than a purse - and stuffed his notebook, a few pencils, and his usual other miscellaneous items inside.

Just as he tried to walk out into the hallway, Sora's kittens bounded across the floor in front of him, followed by Sora himself. "Come back!" he exclaimed. "Really, this isn't funny!" Riku hurried by not three seconds later, rolling his eyes.

Axel was the last to arrive at a more sedate pace. He shook his head, the corners of his lips turned down in the slightest of frowns. "I hate cats. They're too much trouble to be worth having as pets."

"Is that all?" Roxas asked sarcastically.

"Ha, no, but I'm not in the mood to discuss the depth of my hatred for feline creatures," The shorter blinked up at Axel in confusion. "Oh, never mind."

"Aqua, get them!" Sora's voice echoed up the staircase, followed by a loud crash. Roxas and Axel exchanged a glance and then hurried downstairs. They were both hard put not to burst out laughing when they saw the scene in the kitchen. Riku was wedged into a corner between two cabinets with Sora on top of him, flailing madly. The kittens were climbing all over them, playing with a ball of string that had unraveled across the floor and tied itself around the two boys. Aqua was standing nearby, shaking her head sadly and also trying not to laugh. Upon seeing the two newcomers, the kittens clambered over to them and started mewling, wanting to be petted.

"Guys, get your crap together and let's go before the Boss-man murders us all," Axel chuckled, nudging the kittens away gently with his foot. "Aqua, would you mind taking these troublemakers back up to Sora's room, please?"

"Of course," the housekeeper replied. "Lexaeus is waiting for you in the car out front. Hurry on out."

The boys did as they were told and hastened out to the front of the house, clambering into the waiting car. Sora and Riku took the middle row of seats and Roxas and Axel the back. Roxas, although still not entirely comfortable with prolonged contact with the redhead, found that he was able to sit next to him without fearing for his virginity.

The ride to the studio was mostly uneventful. Sora and Riku talked quietly in the back while the other two boys sat in comfortable silence, staring out the windows of the car. However, as the large building came into sight, a loud siren began blaring behind them. Lexaeus hastily pulled off the road, just avoiding the ambulance that came roaring down the road. The four boys in the car glanced around at one another, eyes wide with fear.

"Stay calm," Lexaeus said as he pulled back onto the road and continued driving. "Maybe it's not going to the studio."

Unfortunately, he was wrong. As they pulled up to the building, a gurney was wheeled out of the front doors by several EMTs. Upon seeing who was on it, the four boys scrambled out of the car and raced towards it. Saix, however, materialized and held them back. "Get back in the car," he barked. "Lexaeus, follow us to the hospital if these four really want to come."

Terrified out of their wits by the anger and pain in Saix's eyes, the four boys retreated and sat in stunned silence all the way to the hospital.

~::~

Not a whisper passed between the four boys as they sat in the stark white waiting room of the hospital, staring down at the floor or their shoes or their tightly clasped hands. Roxas and Sora were terrified, Axel stunned, and Riku borderline hysterical. Sora, despite his obvious shaking, scooted closer to his boyfriend and took his hand. "He'll be okay. It… it didn't look _too_ bad. Maybe he just hit his head or something."

Riku muttered something unintelligible under his breath and then remained silent until, finally, Saix walked into the room, face pale and eyes glinting with fury. "Saix, what ha-…"

"Axel," the other man cut him off sharply, blatantly ignoring his plea for knowledge. "I need you to come with me. Ventus keeps saying your name, and we need you to try and figure out what's going on. He won't respond to anyone else."

The aforementioned man's eyebrows inched skywards. "Me? Huh. Who would've thought. All right, I'm coming." He stood and followed the other man through the doorway.

Riku stared after them, eyes wide in disbelief. "Shit," he breathed. "Oh, fucking hell, this is _not_ good."

The two brothers stared at him in confusion. "Riku, we're aware of the fact that Ven's hurt," Roxas began. "But what else is so horrifically terrifying to you?"

"If he hit his head… Remember that little incident Sora and I told you about? If Ven managed to fall on his stupid head, he might remember what happened to him and Xion. That's the last thing we want to happen. Not with a new production about to be started. Not to mention the trouble it would cause Axel. No one but us and a couple other people at Kingdom know about it. If the media found out… He'd be ruined. Hell, if _Saix_ finds out, we're all dead."

"Oh, _shit_," Sora gasped.

"That's an understatement," Roxas replied, gulping audibly.

What seemed like an eternity later, Axel returned to the waiting room, white as sheet and on the verge of crying. "Guys, we need to go back home now. Saix says that we won't be working for the next couple of days while Ventus recovers. Actually, we may not be working for a while."

Riku leapt up and hurried over to him, eyes wide with fear. "What happened, Axel? Please tell me Ven didn't hit his head or anything like that."

"As a matter of fact, he did, and when I talked to him, he started yelling at me to go away, to leave him and Xion alone. Riku," the redhead gritted out, "is that why you never told me what happened that night? Because I fucking _raped_ them? Look, I didn't need to find that out like this. Now Ventus says he's quitting! Do you realize what's gonna happen if he tells people about this, let alone Xion? Saix is already furious with me! I just… You… _I hate you!_" Axel burst into tears and ran out of the room, past the startled receptionist and several others.

Though he was unsure why, Roxas was the first to follow, running as fast as he could to keep up with the taller man. As he burst through the hospital doors to see that it was raining and Axel was already a good twenty yards away from him, Roxas suddenly doubled over in laughter, realizing just how stupidly ironic this all was. It was like a sappy chick flick where one of the main characters would go running after the other following some horrible event and then, once they caught to runaway, things would be all better. But this wasn't a movie. No way in hell would that happen.

Axel stopped running at the sound of the other man's wild laughter. He turned around, a puzzled expression on his face. He paused for a moment, debating what he should do. Then, with a barely sigh and a smile, he jammed his fists in his pockets and walked back to the blonde. "You're a good kid," he said, reaching out and ruffling Roxas's hair as he straightened up.

"Wait a second, you came back!"

"Don't sound so surprised. Where do I have to run to? Better face my problems then let them eat me alive, am I right, or am I right?" Axel replied with a pained smirk.

Roxas rolled his eyes, batting away the other's hand. "Given the choices? You're right." The two of them burst out laughing and stayed like that, leaning against each other for support until Sora and Riku caught up. They glanced at each other in confusion when they realized the other two weren't even registering their presence, and headed back inside, knowing smiles on their faces.

~::~

After an extremely awkward exchange with Saix concerning when they would be going back to work, the four boys and Lexaeus rove back to the mansion and remained there the rest of the day. Axel shut himself in his room for the better part of it, only emerging to eat meals and grab snacks from the kitchen. He avoided anyone and everyone, even ignoring Aqua when she tried to talk to him.

Roxas, after a particularly awkward dinner spent sitting across the table from Axel, trying not to stare at the obvious tear tracks etched down his cheeks and tattoos, couldn't take the redhead's moping anymore and decided to confront him. He walked down the hall quietly, pausing by his brother's closed door but hurrying on after he heard a quiet moan come from within. Screwing up his eyes to try and get the pictures that flooded into his mind out, he hurried on and then stopped in front of Axel's door.

The short blonde raised one hand to knock, but paused, unsure if this was really such a good idea. Axel was unpredictable and apparently territorial, seeing as how he never let anyone but Aqua into his room. Wouldn't he just kick Roxas right back out if he came in?

Before he could make a decision, the door opened and Axel's emerald eyes appeared sideways in the crack. Roxas yelped in surprise and jumped backwards, falling and slamming his head onto the wall behind him. Axel opened the door all the way and stared down at him in confusion. "I'm not that scary, am I?"

Roxas, clutching at his heart, gasped, "No, sorry, I just wasn't expecting the door to open… And you were _sideways_."

"Oh. Um… Sorry. I was about to come find you anyways," Axel paused, as if unsure he should continue. "I'm lonely."

"You're lonely, and you're coming to _me_ for entertainment? Apparently my brother never told you how boring I am," Roxas replied. "Unless, of course, video games are involved."

Axel grinned. "I hope you haven't gone soft on me. I am _totally_ gonna kick your ass!"

Three minutes and two gaming systems later saw the two boys fighting head-to-head, screaming and cursing at each other when things didn't go their way. "You cheater!" Roxas exclaimed, throwing his DS down in frustration. "Pikachu can't even _use_ that move! You used an Action Replay, bitch!"

"Bitch yourself, you have a full team of Snorlaxs! I'll never beat you at this rate!" Axel threw his own DS down and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting.

Roxas blinked. "Wait a second, are we really fighting over this?" He met Axel's eyes, and the two practically fell on top of each other, they laughed so hard. The redhead eventually managed to get both of them sobered up by retrieving both their DS's and playing on Roxas's. "Hey, give it back!"

Axel scooted backwards, holding it over his head, out of the blonde's reach. "Uh-uh, what're the magic words?"

"Fuck you!" Roxas replied angrily, crawling along on his hands and knees to try and get his game back. "Come on, really!"

It was then things took a turn for the awkward. Roxas, intent on getting his beloved DS back, stood up and lunged for Axel's outstretched hand, but tripped on the redhead's foot, sending him off-balance. He landed smack dab in the middle of Axel's chest with the redhead's knee in the one place he'd hoped none of Axel would ever touch. Roxas gasped in terror as he felt Axel's arms wrap around him, but, to his great surprise, he was gently picked up and set down on a pile of pillows nearby. Axel handed his DS back and scratched the back of his head, not looking at the other boy.

"I'm sorry, kid. Didn't mean to do that."

Roxas curled in on himself, willing the strange feeling in his gut to go away. It felt like there was a miniature army doing gymnastics in his stomach, an unusual but not unpleasant sensation. He just sat there, staring at Axel, until the other man looked up and waved a hand in front of his face. "Kid? You okay? Don't go all spacey on me, we still have to finish our battle, in case you forgot."

"I don't wanna," Roxas replied quietly. "Just turn our DS's off. I need to go to sleep now, I think. Today was exhausting."

He made a move to get up, but Axel leaned over and gently pushed him back down. "Hey, what's wrong? It's not about the whole Ven and Xion thing, is it? Because I'd never do that again, sober or not. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and I won't be that link."

"But how do you know-…" Roxas stopped abruptly as Axel put a finger to his lips.

"Sora let it slip that he and Riku told you about everything. Well, everything they knew about, at least. Nothing your brother finds out stays secret for long, judging by how things have gone since I first met him," Axel explained, smirking. "And since honesty seems to be the best policy with you, it wasn't just loneliness that made me come and find you. I need to talk to you."

Roxas's heart skipped a beat as he registered this. _Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck_. "About?" he managed to choke out, barely feeling the pressure of the other's finger against his lips.

Axel withdrew his hand and scratched the back of his head. "Look, kid, I'm not sure how to go about saying this… You remember how I acted when we first met, I assume? Well, not all of it was said and done lightheartedly. The sentiments were true. I…" Roxas felt his chest constrict in some unknown emotion, most likely fear or apprehension. The redhead continued after a few moments, emerald eyes locked with Roxas's. "Please don't laugh at me or run away, but I'm starting to think I'm in goddamn love with you."

The last things on Roxas's mind were laughing or running away. He merely sat there, staring at Axel in slack-jawed silence as the other man's green irises bored into his own blue ones, searching for any hint that his feelings were reciprocated. Finally, after several attempts, Roxas spluttered, "A-Axel, I'm not _gay_. I'm just… not. I'm sorry. You're a great guy, but… I don't love you. Not like that."

The flicker of hope in Axel's eyes was blown out instantly, like a candle flame being snuffed. The redhead turned away, his voice cracking with thinly-veiled pain. "I thought so. Well, that's okay. I'll get over you. Besides, Saix would kill me ever more gruesomely if he found out I was dating one of my co-workers. You can go to sleep now."

Knowing when he was dismissed, Roxas stood and turned to go, clutching his DS so hard his knuckles were white and bloodless. As he stepped into the hall and walked slowly towards his room, he could have sworn he heard the quiet sound of someone sobbing.

~::~

**Author's Note:** Tell me you didn't see that coming. So, now that some interesting information has been divulged, you'll have to wait until the next chapter to see what the gang does about their little dilemma...


End file.
